OPx, 


AFew  Words  io  the  Jews 


E  W  I 


i-NRLF 


EfiS 


rNIYHRSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


THK  SLOSS  COLLECTION   OF  THE  SEMITIC   LIBKAKY 
OK  THE  LMYERSITY  OK  CAL1KORMA. 


Accession  No. 


GIFT  i  >l 

LOUIS  SLOSS. 

FEBRUARY.  1897. 

C/j.ss  No. 


WHAT    IS    JUDAISM? 


OR 


A  FEW  WORDS  TO  THE  JEWS. 


1 


BY 


•>•'* 

f  Tt  VI- 

4 


NEW  YORK : 
D.    APPLETON   &   CO., 

90,  92,  and  94  GRAND  STREET. 
1870. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congi'ess,  December.  1869, 

By  KAPHAEL  D'C.  LEWIN, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States 
for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


Stereotyped  by  LITTLE,  RENNIF,  &  Co., 
645  &  647  Broadway,  New  Yorfc. 


TO 


HIS    JEWISH    BRETHREN, 


THROUGHOUT   THE 


IS 


WITH     FEELINGS    OF    SINCERE     REGARD, 


RESPECTFULLY 


DEDICA  TED 


BY 


THE  AUTHOR. 


-*^YJ 
.  .        i 

/  B 


PREFACE 


THE  VOICE  OF  REASON  is  THE  VOICE  OF  GOD.  With 
this  earnest  conviction  deeply  impressed  upon  my 
heart,  the  following  pages  have  been  prepared,  and 
are  now  respectfully  presented  to  the  public. 

I  am  aware,  however,  that  in  thus  unreservedly  de- 
claring my  full  opinions  on  the  absorbing  subject  of 
the  Jewish  religion,  I  am  rendering  myself  liable  to 
much  severe  and  harsh  criticism.  My  views  will 
not  only  be  opposed  with  much  bitterness  by  hun- 
dreds of  my  co-religionists,  but  my  motives  will  even 
be,  either  wilfully  or  innocently,  misunderstood.  My 
opponents  will  not  be  likely  to  deal  very  mercifully 
towards  me  in  their  judgment,  while  among  my 
friends  and  well-wishers  there  will  be  found  some 
(and  I  could  easily  name  them,  even  now,  as  I  write) 
who  will  be  apt  to  regard  this  publication,  if  not, 
indeed,  the  writer,  with  feelings  akin  to  distrust  and 
dislike.  Still,  I  hope  and  believe  that  among  those  who 
will  read  this  little  essay,  there  will  be  many  who  will 
endorse  my  sentiments,  and  give  me  credit  for  at  least 
being  sincere  in  my  intentions.  To  them,  therefore, 
a  few  words  of  explanation  should  be  given  as  to 


6  Preface. 

the  reasons  which  have  influenced  me  to  undertake  so 
arduous  a  task,  and  the  object  which  I  hope  to  attain 
thereby. 

The  age  in  which  we  live  is  an  age  of  reason,  of 
inquiry,  and  of  investigation.  The  Educated,  as  a 
rule,  are  no  longer  content  to  be  led  by  the  dictates 
of  blind  faith  in  any  branch  of  human  knowledge, 
and  least  of  all,  in  religious  belief.  Political  equality, 
civil  and  religious  liberty,  the  march  of  civilization, 
the  rapid  strides  which  science  is  everywhere  making, 
have  all  combined  to  remove  the  scales  from  the 
eyes  of  men  and  to  lessen  the  immense  power  which, 
until  lately,  crafty  priests  and  ecclesiastics  have  exer- 
cised over  the  minds  of  the  populace.  Among  all 
religions  denominations  there  is  now  a  healthy  agita- 
tion, and  the  tendency  is  to  purify  the  Church  of  those 
spurious  elements  which  were  engendered  in  times 
of  bigotry  and  superstition,  and  thus  by  degrees  to  les- 
sen the  bar  which  separates  the  children  of  one  Eternal 
Father  from  each  other.  That  there  is  still  a  large 
amount  of  intolerance  and  bigotry  manifested  in  cer- 
tain quarters  which  will  sometimes  lead  to  very  la- 
mentable results,  is,  unfortunately,  but  too  true  ;  and 
while  we  deplore  this  fact,  we  not  only  can  pray  to 
Almighty  God  to  remove  this  evil,  this  plague-spot 
from  society,  by  bringing  knowledge  into  those  quar- 
ters, but  we  can  ourselves  diminish  the  evil  by  diffusing 
education  among  all  classes,  and  by  using  every  legiti- 


Preface.  7 

mate  and  honest  means  at  our  command  to  sup- 
press intolerance  and  bigotry  in  whatever  shape  they 
may  present  themselves.  But,  thanks  to  God,  the 
miscalled  orthodoxy  of  all  creeds,  which  engenders  sel- 
fishness, exclusiveness,  illiberality,  and  finally  despotism 
of  the  worst  kind — that  of  the  mind — is  fast  dying  out, 
sinking  into  the  grave  to  which  long  ere  this  it  should 
have  been  consigned.  Thus  it  happens  that  in  this  free 
and  glorious  country,  perhaps  more  than  in  any  other, 
the  pure  and  holy  principles  of  religion  are  becoming 
widely  understood,  and  the  differences  which  still  exist 
among  men  upon  religious  points  form  no  barrier  to 
the  general  peace  and  happiness.  Every  day  the 
field  of  religious  thought  is  being  explored,  and  as  the 
light  of  reason  is  the  more  reflected  upon  the  scene, 
so  are  the  several  unholy  doctrines  and  dogmas  ar- 

*  ^j 

rayed  before  the  tribunal  of  intelligence,  condemned 
as  follies  and  sentenced  to  oblivion.  In  this  way  do 
the  several  religions  of  the  world  form  subjects  for 
just  criticism,  and  thus  has  Judaism  among  the  others 
been  brought  prominently  to  public  notice.  Yes, 
Judaism,  the  religion  which  has  been  so  long  despised, 
scorned,  and  trampled  under  foot,  is  now  a  matter  of 
grave  importance  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  and  in  this 
country  especially  is  attracting  the  attention  of  thou- 
sands of  our  non-Jewish  brethren.  Doubtless  this 
agitation  and  curiosity  have  been  produced  partly 
from  the  schism  which  exists  in  our  midst,  the  sig- 


8  Preface. 

nal  triumphs  which  have  attended  the  efforts  of  the 
Reform  School  of  Judaism,  the  magnificent  tem- 
ples which  are  being  erected  in  almost  every  large 
city,  the  noble  charitable  institutions  which  are  so 
largely  supported  by  Reform  Jews,  and  the  action  of 
the  Rabbinical  conferences  recently  held  in  Europe 
and  in  Philadelphia.  Be  the  cause  however  what  it 
may,  it  is  a  fact  that  we  are  now  being  closely  observed 
by  our  neighbors,  who  are  evincing  considerable  desire 
to  become  better  informed  about  Jews  and  their  religion. 
"  What  is  Judaism  ? ':  is  by  no  means  an  uncommon 
question  ;  and  that  it  should  be  a  question  is  a  matter 
of  no  surprise.  Why  should  there  not  be  a  question 
upon  the  subject,  when  so  much  has  been  done  and 
said  to  mystify  the  public,  and  when  the  Jews  them- 
selves indirectly  assist  in  this  mystification. 

The  very  existence  of  the  numerous  factions  and 
sects  in  our  midst,  the  different  shades  of  opinion, 
even  in  the  same  sect,  the  weekly  ravings  of  the  so- 
called  orthodox  press,  the  incomprehensible  inconsis- 
tency of  those  who  pretend  to  adhere  to  the  traditions 
of  our  race,  must  surely  excite  the  wonder,  and, 
perhaps,  even  the  amusement  of  the  Christian  world. 
And  when  it  is  remembered  that,  although  much  has 
been  written  about  Judaism,  and  many  learned  works 
have  been  published  for  the  information  of  the  world, 
yet  there  is  nothing  in  the  vernacular  of  such  a  charac- 
ter as  to  present  within  a  moderate  compass  the  full 


Preface.  9 

principles,  doctrines,  views,  object,  and  destiny  of  the 
Jewish  religion,  it  is  certainly  not  a  matter  of  astonish- 
ment that  so  little  should  be  known  about  our  faith. 
To  the  majority  of  Jews  themselves,  this  subject  is, 
from  the  same  cause,  very  imperfectly  understood ; 
and  hence  the  great  opposition  which  is  made  to  the 
Reform  School  by  many  pious  and  well-meaning 
persons,  who  not  only  know  nothing  of  the  aim  of 
Reform,  but  even  have  erroneous  impressions  as 
to  what  constitutes  true  orthodoxy,  according  to  the 
Rabbins  and  the  traditions  of  Israel.  To  supply  this 
want,  therefore — to  place  before  the  public  a  brief 
but  thorough  explanation  of  the  principles  of  Judaism, 
in  a  style  simple  enough  to  come  within  the  range  of 
all — has  this  essay  been  prepared.  In  it  will  be  found 
all  that  I  believe  to  be  included  under  the  title  of 
Judaism.  I  have  endeavored  faithfully  to  state  my 
full  views  on  the  religion  of  my  race  ;  to  point  out 
carefully  whatsoever  I  deem  of  importance,  and  to 
declare  unreservedly  what  I  consider  to  be  incon- 
gruities, inconsistencies,  and  altogether  abuses  quite 
foreign  to  true  Judaism. 

Wherever,  in  the  course  of  this  essay,  allusion  has 
been  made  to  the  hypocritical  deceptions  of  miscalled 
Orthodoxy,  I  wish  it  to  be  perfectly  understood,  that 
it  is  only  the  practices  of  mock  orthodoxy  which  have 
been  condemned,  and  not  of  real  Orthodoxy.  Against 
the  truly  pious  and  consistent  orthodox  Jew  who 


io  Preface. 

religiously  believes  in  the  traditions  of  his  people,  in 
the  infallibility  of  the  Talmud,  and  who  faithfully  puts 
into  practice  all  that  he  professes  in  theory,  not  one 
disrespectful  word  should  be  uttered.  How  much 
soever  this  steadfast  adherence  to  the  practices  of  the 
past — which  in  the  reasonable  mind  have  long  ceased 
to  be  obligatory — may  be  deplored,  the  sincerity  of  the 
intention  is  eminently  deserving  of  respect.  It  would 
be  against  the  teachings  of  the  Reform  School,  there- 
fore, to  condemn  those  who  thus  act  up  to  what  they 
believe.  But  to  those  violent  fanatics  from  the  ranks 
of  a  self-constituted  orthodoxy,  who  profess  one  thing 
and  perform  another ;  who  desert  the  ancient  land- 
marks whenever  fashion  or  convenience  or  worldly 
motives  must  be  gratified,  but  who,  nevertheless, 
clamor  against  every  movement  intended  to  advance 
the  interests  of  Judaism  ;  who  denounce  in  public 
what  they  practise  in  private ;  \vho  openly  desecrate 
the  most  sacred  commands,  and  yet  revile  Reformers 
as  heretics ;  who  substitute  brute  force  for  argument, 
passion  for  reason,  and  the  fulmination  of  anathema 
for  logical  discussion ;  who  by  their  outward  sancti- 
monious mien  and  inward  rebellious  spirit,  bring  dis- 
grace on  the  name  of  Jew — to  them  no  explanation 
or  apology  is  made.  The  masks  which  they  have  so 
long  worn  must  now  be  torn  down,  and  the  utter 
nothingness  of  their  professions  exhibited  to  the  public 
gaze  and  contempt. 


Preface.  1 1 

To  the  truly  orthodox  as  well  as  to  the  moderate 
reformer,  I  have  only  to  say  :  Do  not  decide  too  hastily 
in  your  judgment  of  this  essay.  Read  patiently  the 
arguments,  study  carefully  the  references  from  the 
Scriptures  and  from  history,  weigh  well  the '  proofs, 
and  let  your  Reason  be  your  guide. 

Whether  the  object  of  these  pages  will  in  any  degree 
be  accomplished,  time  alone  will  show.  But  whatever 
may  be  the  result,  I  cannot  be  otherwise  than  con- 
scious of  having  e~.  -ved  upon  the  task  with  pure 
feelings  and  with  the  earnest  desire  of  benefiting  my 
people  and  my  religion.  And  so  I  hopefully  send 
forth  my  little  work  among  my  brethren,  and  humbly 
implore  the  blessing  of  God  on  the  issue. 

R.  D'C.  L. 

The  ECLECTIC  COLLEGIATE  INSTITUTE, 
617  Lexington  Avenue,  cor.  53d  St., 
New  York,  Dec.,  1869. 


WHAT  IS  JUDAISM? 


HE  night  of  religious  persecution  has  forever 
passed ;  the  morning  light  has  dawned,  and 
the  Sun  of  Progress  is  shedding  his  refulgent 
rays  upon  the  world,  dispelling  the  clouds  of  darkness 
and  illumining  mankind  with  celestial  truth,  to  the 
everlasting  glory  of  Almighty  God,  and  the  eternal 
happiness  of  the  human  race.  Yes,  religious  perse- 
cution is  dead.  It  now  lies  numbered  among  the 
things  which  have  been ;  it  rests  in  the  tomb  of  the 
past,  and  will  never  again  be  resuscitated.  We  pause  not 
here  to  inquire  as  to  the  agencies  which  have  been  em- 
ployed by  an  all-wise  and  directing  Providence,  in  effect- 
ing this  happy  consummation.  We  seek  not  to  ascer- 
tain the  causes  which  have  been  instrumental  in  thus 
revolutionizing  those  very  thoughts  and  opinions  of 
men  which  for  centuries  had  obtained  such  irresisti- 
ble control  over  their  actions.  Enough  for  our  pur- 
pose that  truth  has  triumphed,  that  the  inalienable 
rights  of  conscience  have  been  acknowledged,  that  the 
being  possessed  of  a  heaven-born  immortal  soul,  en- 
dowed with  the  high  faculty  of  reason,  blessed  by  God 


14  What  is  Judaism  ? 

with  the  capacity  to  act  according  to  the  impulses  of 
his  own  heart,  is  at  length  permitted  by  his  fellow- 
being  to  exercise  those  divine  rights  which  constitute 
him  the  child  of  God,  is  at  length  free  to  worship  his 
Almighty  Father  and  Creator,  agreeably  with  the 
promptings  of  his  own  nature. 

Glorious,  indeed,  have  been  the  results  produced 
by  this  revolution  in  religious  thought.  The  minds 
of  men,  no  longer  enslaved  by  the  tyranny  of  Church 
or  State,  assume  now  their  legitimate  powers,  and  re- 
gard all  subjects  as  food  for  investigation  and  discus- 
sion. The  claims  of  humanity  are  felt  and  acknowl- 
edged, irrespective  of  religious  differences.  The  pecu- 
liar tenets  held  sacred  by  any  man,  occasion  none  to 
withhold  from  him  the  free  enjoyment  of  those  privi- 
leges to  which,  as  a  man,  he  is  justly  entitled.  The 
state  or  commonwealth,  which  is  made  up  of  individ- 
uals and  not  of  individual  opinions,  imposes  no 
restraint  on  the  liberty  of  the  individual  on  account 
of  his  religious  convictions  ;  and  indeed  in  almost 
every  country  where  the  refining  influence  of  modern 
civilization  has  penetrated,  the  same  political  rights 
and  distinctions  are  shared  in  common  by  every  man, 
notwithstanding  his  private  views  on  religion,  or  the 
peculiar  manner  in  which  he  may  worship  the  God 
of  his  belief. 

And  now  that  this  glorious  epoch  in  the  world's 
history  has  been  fairly  inaugurated,  surely  we  Israel- 


What  is  Judaism  ?  15 

ites,  above  all  others,  should  experience  the  purest 
emotions  of  holy  joy  and  the  deepest  feelings  of  grati- 
tude, when  we  reflect  on  what  has  been  and  what 
is  now.  Religious  freedom  is  indeed  a  sweet  thing 
to  us.  Who  can  better  appreciate  it  ?  We  have  been 
the  martyrs  of  martyrs.  For  eighteen  unbroken  cen- 
turies the  world  has  conspired  to  hunt  us  down,  to 
torture  and  oppress  us,  to  drive  us  without  the  pale 
of  humanity,  to  exterminate  us  from  among  men,  or 
compel  us  to  disavow  our  blessed  inheritance,  and 
swear  allegiance  to  strange  gods.  Truly  no  nation 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth  has  ever  endured  such  sys- 
tematic persecution,  such  relentless  cruelties,  such 
fearful  sufferings,  as  that  nation  to  which,  praised  be 
God,  we  have  the  honor  of  belonging.  What  then 
should  be  our  bounden  duty,  now  that  God  has  given 
us  rest  from  our  enemies,  now  that  He  has  turned  our 
adversaries  into  our  friends  and  brethren,  now  that 
the  world  has  so  far  advanced  in  religious  knowledge 
as  to  comprehend  the  great  truth  that  conscience  can 
never  be  forced  ?  Surely  it  is,  to  adhere  as  steadfastly 
to  that  hallowed  faith  in  our  prosperity  as  we  did  in 
our  adversity.  Surely  it  is,  to  remove  all  the  impuri- 
ties from  that  faith  which,  during  those  centuries  of 
persecution,  bigotry,  ignorance,  and  fanaticism,  have 
grown  so  thickly  around  it,  as  almost  to  hide  its  tran- 
scendent beauties.  Surely  it  is,  to  understand  that 
faith  according  to  its  God-like  purity,  to  transmit  that 


1 6  What  is  Judaism  ? 

faith  to  our  children  as  a  priceless  treasure,  to  pro- 
claim that  faith  to  the  world,  through  the  teachings  of 
our  lives,  and  thus  show  that  Judaism  is  indeed  a 
Religion  emanating  from  the  Deity  himself,  and  that 
none  know  better  than  Jews  how  to  serve  that  Deity,  or 
how  to  fulfil  those  divine  laws  of  universal  love  and 
truth  which  He  has  framed  for  the  government  and 
welfare  of  all  his  children  upon  earth. 

But  these  duties  are  incumbent  upon  us,  not  alone 
in  order  to  evince  our  gratitude  to  God  and  our  ap- 
preciation of  the  blessings  of  religious  liberty,  but 
because,  free  as  we  may  be,  our  faith  has  still  its  ene- 
mies, who,  though  powerless  to  harm,  are  yet  power- 
ful enough  to  detract  from  its  excellences  by  painting 
it  in  false  colors  and  exhibiting  it  under  a  garb  which 
never  belonged  to  it,  in  the  hope  thus  to  accomplish 
by  fraud  and  treachery  what  never  could  be  accom- 
plished by  tyranny  or  oppression.  Would  you  know 
where  to  seek  those  enemies  ?  Look  for  them  without 
our  fold.  Look  for  them  within  our  fold. 

Look  for  them  without  our  fold,  in  the  many  con- 
version societies  which  disgrace  the  age  in  which  we 
live  ;  in  the  "so-called"  societies  for  the  diffusion  of 
the  Gospel  among  the  Jews,  which  infest  our  land, 
and  which  are  so  zealously  maintained  by  thousands 
of  foolish,  bigoted  men  and  women,  who  expend,  an- 
nually, fortunes  upon  the  feeble  attempt  to  convert 
the  Jews,  and  rejoice  when  some  poor  miscreant,  who 


What  is  Judaism  j>  17 

has  but  little  sense,  still  less  honor  and  a  great  amount 
of  poverty,  falls  into  their  clutches — fortunes  which 
could  be  better  bestowed  upon  the  aged,  the  destitute, 
the  widow,  and  the  orphan  of  their  own  sects — for- 
tunes which  could  aid  in  diffusing  education  among 
the  ignorant  masses  of  the  Christian  Church,  and 
teaching  the  sublime  lesson,  that  God  is  the  Father 
of  mankind,  and  that  all  men  are  alike  his  children 
and  will  be  saved  in  Him. 

Look  for  them  without  our  fold,  in  the  doctrines  put 
forth  every  Sunday  from  too  many  of  the  Church 
pulpits  ;  doctrines  which  take  hold  upon  the  ignorant 
minds  of  the  populace,  and  cause  them  to  believe  that 
Judaism  is  corruptive  ;  that  Jews  think  it  their  duty  to 
cheat  and  swindle  their  Christian  neighbors ;  that  Jews 
must  still  be  held  responsible  for  the  crucifixion  of 
him  whom  the  Gentile  world  revere  as  a  Saviour,  that 
all  who  believe  not  in  him  will  be  condemned  to  eter- 
nal perdition,  and  that  therefore  it  is  a  meritorious 
action  to  convert  the  Jew,  even  if  that  conversion  be 
accomplished  by  means  not  in  themselves  fair  or  hon- 
orable. 

Look  for  them  within  our  fold,  in  the  unholy  and 
ridiculous  opinions  entertained  about  Judaism  by  too 
many  of  its  own  followers  ;  in  the  follies  and  super- 
stitions which  have  crept  into  Judaism,  and  which 
st.ill  cling  to  a  portion  of  the  House  of  Israel ;  in  the 
ignorant  declarations  of  faith  which  are  occasionally 

* 

2* 


1 8  What  is  Judaism  r 

ushered  into  the  world  as  being  Judaism  ;  in  the  very 
slight  knowledge  possessed  by  a  large  majority  of  our 
people  as  to  what  really  constitute  the  principles  of 
Judaism,  and  the  duties  of  Jews. 

Look  for  them  within  our  fold,  among  the  self-con- 
stituted leaders  of  the  people,  who,  to  accomplish  their 
own  wicked  ends,  to  gratify  their  own  private  animosi- 
ties, to  pander  to  their  own  intolerable  vanities,  or  to 
ensure  their  own  private  interests,  labor  earnestly  to 
depress,  to  mystify,  to  blind,  to  subjugate  those  who 
look  up  to  them  for  light  and  instruction.  Thus  they 
offer  ignorance  to  the  people,  and  call  it  knowledge ; 
darkness,  and  call  it  light ;  folly,  and  call  it  wisdom  ; 
deception,  and  call  it  honor. 

Shall  we  then  be  silent,  when  our  sacred  heritage  is 
being  thus  trifled  with  ?  Shall  we  hold  our  peace 
when  our  pure  and  spotless  religion  is  being  thus 
assailed  by  enemies  without  our  fold  and  by  enemies 
within  our  fold  ?  Shall  they  who  hold  the  exalted  and 
responsible  positions  of  teachers  of  God's  Holy  Word, 
allow  themselves  to  be  intimidated  or  awed,  because 
their  enemies  happen  to  be  strong  or  many  ?  Shall 
the  guides  of  the  people  whom  God  has  appointed  to 
work  out  the  happiness  of  His  children,  prostitute  their 
holy  office  because  worldly  wisdom  would  tell  them, 
"Do  not  jeopardize  your  own  temporal  interests?" 
They  who  dare  listen  to  such  admonitions,  they  who 
dare  betray  their  sacred  trust,  they  who  dare  think 


•-    :;- 


\/> 


What  is  Judaism  />  19 

more  of  themselves  than  of  the  duty  they  owe  their 
Master,  are  unworthy  of  their  calling,  unworthy  their 
lineage,  unworthy  their  mission,  and  merit  the  scorn 

. 

and  indignation  of  every  right-minded  man. 

We  are  those  teachers  ;  we  are  those  guides ;  we, 
Israelites  whom  God  has  appointed  as  "a  covenant  of 
the  people,  a  light  of  the  nations. " 1 

Let  us  then  go  forth  against  our  enemies  "in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts."  Let  us  raise  above  us 
the  banner  of  our  mission — Truth — holy,  divine, 
heavenly  Truth  !  Let  us  battle  with  our  enemies 
without  our  fold  and  within  our  fold,  for  we  can  fight 
them  both,  even  at  the  same  time,  and  all  the  arms 
that  will  be  necessary,  are  but  a  perfect  knowledge  of 
our  faith,  and  a  firm  determination  to  live  in  accord- 
ance with  that  knowledge  ;  and  while  thus  giving  prac- 
tical illustrations  of  the  recondite  beauties  of  Judaism, 
we  will  most  signally  defeat  our  enemies,  and  victo- 
riously return  from  the  strife,  having  benefited  our- 
selves, improved  mankind,  advanced  the  interests  of 
pure  religion,  and  promoted  the  honor  and  glory  of 
the  Eternal  God  of  Heaven  and  Earth. 

Come,  then,  Israelites,  let  us  examine  our  faith  by 
the  light  of  reason  and  intelligence.  Let  us  not  be 
afraid  to  handle  it — it  will  bear  investigation.  Let  us 
not  hesitate  to  test  our  religion.  If  it  will  not  meet  the 
test,  it  is  unworthy  the  name  of  Religion.  If  we  shrink 
from  testing  it,  we  are  unworthy  the  name  of  Jews. 


2O  What  is  Judaism  ? 

Come,  then,  with  hearts  and  minds  bent  upon  this 
holy  task.  Come  with  the  firm  resolution  to  abide  by 
the  consequences.  Come  in  the  name  of  God,  in  the 
name  of  Religion,  in  the  name  of  Truth,  and  let  us 
ask  ourselves  the  all-important  question,  What  is 
Judaism  ? 

In  order  to  solve  this  question  satisfactorily,  we 
must,  in  the  first  place,  be  certain  as  to  the  sources 
whence  we  have  derived  our  religion.  These  sources 
are  three  in  number  :  ist,  Reason  ;  2d,  Nature  ;  and 
3d,  Revelation. 

Without  reason,  truth  could  not  exist  upon  earth, 
for  it  is  only  through  the  agency  of  our  reason  that  we 
are  enabled  even  to  comprehend  the  very  fact  of  our 
existence.  A  renowned  Jewish  philosopher  has  said, 
"The  angel  that  communicates  /between  God  and 
man  is  man's  reason."2  So  also  a  profound  thinker 
of  modern  times  has  asserted,  "On  earth  there  is 
nothing  great  but  man  ;  in  man  there  is  nothing  great 
but  mind." 

These  are  powerful  assertions,  and  they  are  true. 
Man  is  the  masterpiece  of  creation,  and  it  is  only  his 
reason  which  makes  him  so.  Man  only,  of  all  God's 

*    ' 

works,  is  capable  of  understanding  that  he  has  been 
created,  and  it  is  only  his  reason  which  gives  him  that 
capacity.  "Man,"  says  the  great  Pascal,  "is  but  a 
reed, — the  very  frailest  in  nature;  but  he  is  a  reed 
that  thinks.  It  needs  not  that  the  whole  universe 


What  is  Judaism  P  21 

should  arm  to  crush  him.  He  dies  from  an  exhala- 
tion, from  a  drop  of  water.  But  should  the  universe 
conspire  to  crush  him,  man  would  still  be  nobler  than 
that  by  which  he  falls  ;  for  he  knows  that  he  dies  ; 
and  of  the  victory  which  the  universe  has  over  him, 
the  universe  knows  nothing.  Thus  our  whole  dignity 
consists  in  thought." 

Reason,  therefore,  above  everything  else,  must  be 
the  source  whence  man  derives  knowledge.  Pos- 
sessed, then,  of  this  reason,  his  attention  is  directed 
to  the  wonders  of  creation.  He  beholds  and  reflects. 
Nature  speaks  aloud  to  him  through  her  innumerable 
voices,  and  becomes  the  second  great  source  whence 
he  derives  religious  knowledge.  And  nature  is  indeed 
a  noble  instructor.  Who,  possessed  of  reason,  can 
fail  to  see,  in  the  mighty  works  of  nature  by  which  we 
are  constantly  surrounded,  the  goodness  and  greatness 
of  an  all-wise  Creator?  Who  can  be  so  dull  as  not 
to  receive  invaluable  lessons  from  the  many  grand 
objects  which  are  found  in  the  external  world  ?  Who 
can  pass  through  this  life,  beholding,  reflecting,  and 
understanding,  and  not  see,  in  nature,  nature's  God  ? s 

From  Reason  and  Nature,  then,  Revelation  is  de- 
veloped, and  man's  religious  belief  is  formed.  But 
this  revelation  is  by  no  means  a  sudden  result  of  the 
other  sources.  It  is  a  progressive  work.  As  God  is 
the  Creator  of  the  human  race,  so  also  is  He  the 
Educator  of  that  race ;  and  as  man's  greatest  happi- 


22  What  is  Judaism  ? 

ness  consists  in  continual  development  and  progres- 
sion,6 it  has  pleased  Him  to  make  known  his  will 
gradually,  and  to  choose  certain  agents  through  whom 
the  happiness  of  man  may  be  secured,  and  His  gra- 
cious will  made  the  permanent  inheritance  of  all  His 
children.  Thus  was  this  education  of  the  human 
race  commenced  by  God's  communicating  His  will, 
through  the  means  of  Revelation,  first  to  Adam,  then 
to  Abraham  and  the  Patriarchs,  and  subsequently  to 
their  descendants,  the  children  of  Israel, -whom  God 
has  chosen  to  be  his  missionaries  upon  earth,  and  the 
guides  of  all  his  children  to  the  shrine  of  Religion.7 

Herein  consists  the  grand  mission  of  Israel.  Not 
for  our  weal  alone  did  it  please  God  to  bestow  this 
commission  upon  our  race,  not  that  our  prosperity  or 
happiness  alone  may  result  therefrom,  not  that  these 
blessed  truths  should  be  monopolized  by  any  one  race 
or  set  of  God's  children,  as  the  inalienable  right  of 
that  one  race  or  set  of  men,  and  the  right  of  none  else 
besides.  No  !  exclusiveness  forms  no  feature  in  Is- 
rael's mission.8  Israel  is  the  chosen  of  the  Lord  only 
for  the  purpose  of  bringing  spiritual  happiness  to  the 
world.  Otherwise  God  has  no  chosen  people.  All 
are  his  people,  all  are  his  creatures,  all  are  his  chil- 
dren, hence  all  are  chosen  by  him.  As  the  universal 
Father,  God  loves  the  beings  formed  by  his  creative 
hand,  and  seeks  to  promote  the  happiness  of  all  alike. 
The  means,  however,  for  the  accomplishment  of  this, 


What  is  Judaism  />  23 

are  known  alone  to  Him,  and  so  He  has  willed  that 
Israel  should  become  His  missionaries  upon  earth,  in 
order  to  cause  the  light  of  divine  truth  to  shine  upon 
the  world,  and  thus  conduce  to  the  happiness  of  all, 
by  imparting  truth  as  the  common  inheritance  of 
mankind. 

From  the  three  sources — Reason,  Nature,  and  Rev- 
elation— our  knowledge  of  Judaism  is  obtained  ;  and 
from  these  three  sources  also  we  learn  that  Judaism 
exists  under  two  phases,  according  to  both  of  which 
separate  definitions  are  necessary.  The  first  is  its 
Eternal  phase,  and  may  be  thus  defined  : 
*  Judaism  is  the  grand  universal  system  of  all  the 
religious  truths  necessary  for  man  to  believe,  and  of 
all  the  moral  laws  which  God  in  His  inscrutable  wis- 
dom and  goodness  has  framed  for  the  government  of 
his  children  upon  earth,  in  order  that  through  the 
belief  in  these  truths,  and  the  observance  of  these 
laws,  every  human  being  may  become  good,  and  con- 
sequently happy,  and  thus  approach  that  state  of  per- 
fection which  is  the  highest  pinnacle  of  godliness  and 
of  supreme  felicity. 

In  this  sense,  Judaism  is  Religion  in  the  purest 
conception  of  the  word,  for  the  belief  in  these  truths, 
and  in  the  necessity  for  practising  these  laws,  which 
together  constitute  the  very  essence  of  Judaism,  in- 
spires the  soul  of  man  with  an  indescribable  longing 
to  soar  upward  to  the  Great  Spirit  of  spirits,  the 


24  What  is  Judaism  /> 

Almighty  Fountain  of  truth  and  purity  and  wisdom  ; 
and  while  thus  inspiring  it,  renders  it  conscious  how 
impossible  it  is  ever  to  completely  attain  that  exalted 
summit  to  which  it  will,  nevertheless,  continually 
aspire.  And  this  is  indeed  Religion. 

True,  genuine  religion,  is  nothing  else  but  the  term 
whereby  we  understand  that  exaltation  of  the  soul, 
which  recognizes  its  own  superiority,  while  at  the 
same  time  it  is  forced  to  confess  its  own  finiteness  and 
dependence. 

True,  genuine  religion,  is  nothing  else  save  that 
intense  and  earnest  longing  of  the  divine  spirit  placed 
by  God  into  man,  after  the  Noblest,  the  Purest,  the 
Highest — that  unconquerable  desire  to  look  up  to  the 
Infinite  Being,  as  the  embodiment  of  perfection — that 
fervent  attachment,  love,  and  veneration  for  the  Au- 
thor of  all — that  devout  and  constant  wish  to  come 
into  perfect  connection  with  Him — that  deep  humility 
with  which  it  acknowledges  the  impossibility  of  such 
intimate  connection,  and  feels  the  immense  distance 
which  must  still  exist,  how  near  soever  it  may  ap- 
proach. 

Thus  Judaism  and  Religion  are  synonymous  terms. 

But  Priests  and  dogmatists  of  all  sects  have  endeav- 
ored to  give  other  definitions  of  them.  For  Religion 
is  represented  as  being  the  offspring  of  the  Bible,  the 
work  of  Revelation  alone,  the  communication  of  doc- 
trines through  supernatural  agencies,  the  entire  immo- 


What  is  Judaism  t>  25 

lation  of  our  own  reason,  thoughts,  and  feelings  upon 
the  altar  of  faith,  the  firm  adherence  to  certain  set 
formulas  of  creed  and  such  other  manifestations  of 
piety  whereby  the  love  of  God  may  be  gained  or  his 
anger  avoided.  And  as  for  Judaism,  very  many  of  its 
own  followers  and  friends,  to  say  nothing  of  its  ene- 
mies, will  not  allow  it  to  be  a  creative  power  at  all  ; 
nay,  will  not  even  allow  it  to  be  a  spiritual  power,  but 
zealously  labor  to  associate  with  it  traditional  edicts 
and  observances,  forms  and  ceremonies,  and  a  rigid 
adherence  to  everything  which  time  has  honored  by 
the  name  of  Judaism.  Thus  we  find,  even  at  the 
present  day,  the  grossest  follies  and  superstitions  be- 
ing put  forward  by  a  certain  school  of  bigots, — 
who  wear  the  sanctimonious  mien  of  religion  merely 
to  screen  the  defects  of  their  own  private  lives, — as  the 
religion  of  our  race,  the  religion  which  is  destined  by 
God  to  become  the  religion  of  the  world.  Thus 
Judaism  is  by  these  self-constituted,  self-opiniated, 
ignorant,  pseudo-orthodox  Jews,  deprived  of  its  holy 
spirit,  and  sent  forth  into  the  world,  shorn  of  every- 
thing which  may  proclaim  it  the  Religion,  and  retain- 
ing only  those  customs  and  laws  which  the  exigences 
of  certain  times  rendered  necessary  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  inward  spirit,  but  which  have  long  since 
become  obsolete — to  the  detriment  of  the  interests  of 
Judaism,  and  the  mental  debasement  of  Jews.  Where- 
as Judaism  is  indeed  pure  Religion,  and  Religion  is 

3 


26  What  is  Judaism  P 

indeed  far  exalted  above  such  conceptions.  For  it  is 
Religion  which  has  formed  the  Bible,  and  not  the 
Bible  which  has  formed  Religion.  Religion  is  life. 
Religion  is  the  common  inheritance  of  humanity. 
Religion  lives  with  man,  and  is  a  portion  of  his  na- 
ture. It  has  been,  is  now,  and  will  forever  remain  an 
everlasting  monument  of  the  very  existence  and  truth 
of  God  himself. 

Having,  then,  arrived  at  the  proper  definition  of  Ju- 
daism, as  regarded  from  its  eternal  phase,  let  us  direct 
our  attention  to  those  religious  truths  imparted  by 
Judaism,  and  which  are  the  only  truths  which  man 
need  believe  in.  These  truths  are  all  the  doctrines 
which  Judaism  teaches  us  about  God,  the  World,  and 
Man. 

Concerning  God,  we  are  taught  to  believe  that  He  is 
Spirit,9  Most  Holy  and  Pure,10  Incorporeal  and  In- 
divisible,11 Eternal  and  Immutable,12  One  and  only 
One,  to  whom  none  can  be  compared,  to  whom  no 
likeness  can  be  ascribed ; 1S  Omnipotent, u  Omnis- 
cient,1' and  Omnipresent,16  All-Good,  but  All-Just, 
Supremely  Intelligent,18  Merciful19  and  Beneficent, 
the  Great  "I  am/'21  the  Beginning  and  the  End, 
the  First  and  the  Last,23  the  Reason,  the  Life,  and  the 
Motion  of  all  beings,24  the  Producer  of  everything,26 
the  Eternal  King,  Lord,  Ruler,  and  Preserver  of  the 
world,26  the  only  Creator,27  and  the  sole  Saviour  of 
mankind." 


17 


22 


What  is  Judaism  ?  27 

This  peculiar  Jewish  conception  of  God  is  the  car- 
dinal truth  upon  which  all  other  truths  are  based.  It 
is  the  grand  centre  to  which  everything  else  con- 
verges. It  is  the  first  great  step  toward  religious  per- 
fection, the  point  from  which  all  other  doctrines  must 
emanate. 

Concerning  the  world,  Judaism  teaches  us  that  it 
owes  its  origin  to  God  ;29  that  he  called  all  the  mate- 
rials which  compose  it  into  existence,  created  the 
forces,  and  ordained  the  laws  through  which  every- 
thing in  the  world  performs  its  appointed  object  ;3' 
that  these  forces  and  laws  are  wisely  arranged  in  order 
to  give  regularity  and  harmony  to  all  things,  and  thus 
form  the  Universe  into  a  perfect  whole  ;S1  that  there 
exists  no  absolute  evil  in  nature,  since  everything  has 
its  purpose,  and  that  purpose  is  a  wise  and  good  one, 
calculated  to  produce  the  greatest  advantages  to  man- 
kind at  large  ;32  that  even  where  our  ignorance  of  the 
workings  of  Nature  may  make  us  regard  some  things 
as  evil,  yet  they  only  seem  so  to  us,  but  are  in  reality 
features  in  that  government  which  is  intended  for  the 
general  weal  ;33  that  the  world  itself  was  called  into 
existence  so  as  to  produce  happiness,  and  so  that  there 
might  be  objects  upon  whom  God  could  lavish  His 
infinite  love,  and  thus  cause  His  creatures  to  rejoice  in 
Him,  and  be  supremely  happy  in  His  gracious  favor. 3j) 

This  idea  of  the  world  blended,  with  the  sublime 
idea  of  God,  naturally  leads  us  to  the  contemplation 


2  8  What  is  Judaism  ? 

of  Man,  the  noblest  work  of  creation,  for  whose  bene- 
fit the  world  has  been  created. 

Upon  this  subject — Man — we  are  taught  to  believe 
that  God  has  endowed  him  with  a  nature  essentially 
higher  than  any  other  being,  for  where  all  other  crea- 
tures are  but  material  beings,  man  possesses  an  im- 
mortal soul  which  continues  to  live  after  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  body,  and  thus  partakes  in  some  degree 
of  the  spirit  of  God.36  And  not  only  in  his  twofold 
nature  is  man  superior,  but  even  in  his  material  form  ; 
for  he  bears  upon  him  the  impress  of  divinity,  and 
is  the  only  being  gifted  with  the  power  of  speech. 
Through  his  spiritual  nature,  man  inherits  reason  and 
conscience,  by  means  of  which,  combined  with  the 
power  of  free  will,  he  is  enabled  to  develop  his  intel- 
lectual faculties  and  thus  become  perfect ;  to  conform 
his  conduct  to  the  will  of  God,  and  thus  become  hap- 
py. 3l  But  as  in  consequence  of  the  union  between 
body  and  soul,  a  continual  struggle  between  the  ani- 
mal and  spiritual  propensities  will  forever  continue  in 
the  breast  of  man,  it  is  impossible  for  him,  during  his 
earthly  life,  to  attain  the  summit  of  perfection.37  He 
will  fall  into  sin,  although  he  is  not  compelled  to  do 
so,  since  sin  can  be  subdued  by  the  strong  will  of  his 
spirit. s(  When  man  sins,  therefore,  he  loses  for  the 
time  his  God-like  nature,  and  receives  his  punishment 
in  this  very  loss. 3i  But  he  is  able  to  regain  his  former 
eminence,  through  the  medium  of  repentance. 40  Thus 


What  is  Judaism  /*  29 

man  carries  the  mediator  between  himself  and  God  in 
his  own  heart. 

All  that  is  necessary  for  his  forgiveness  and  his  re- 
storation to  his  original  position,  is  sorrow  on  his  part 
for  the  sin  which  he  has  committed,  and  a  sincere 
amendment  of  his  conduct  in  the  future. 

Thus  man's  highest  destiny  is  to  triumph  over  his 
material  propensities,  and  thereby  elevate  his  God-like 
nature,  which  will  in  return  elevate  him  ;  and  this  he  is 
enabled  to  do  through  his  knowledge  of  those  Divine 
Truths  concerning  God,  the  World,  and  Man,  and  by 
being  thoroughly  conversant  with  those  Moral  Laws 
which  God  has  framed  for  the  government  of  His 
children  upon  Earth. 

The  moral  laws  prescribed  by  Judaism  teach  us  our 
duty  to  God,  to  our  fellow-men,  and  to  ourselves. 

To  God,  in  regarding  Him  as  the  Highest  Good, 
in  loving,41  adoring,42  and  obeying43  Him  with  all  the 
energy  of  which  we  are  capable.  To  love  God,  we 
must  love  all  that  He  loves.  The  world  and  its  con- 
tents have  been  made  for  man  because  God  loves  man, 
hence  we  also  must  love  man,  and  strive  to  promote 
his  happiness.  To  love  God  we  must  love  virtue,  and 
must  always  practise  what  our  heart  tells  us  will  be 
pleasing  to  God  ;  and  by  so  doing  we  again  fulfil  our 
destiny,  for  we  will  become  happy  in  the  very  thought 
of  God,  and  our  spirit  will  then  soar  uoward  to  Him 


44 


and  aspire  to  perfection. 

3* 


- 


*r  « 

ri.A 


3C  What  is  Judaism  /> 

To  adore  God,  we  must  feel  that  notwithstanding 
our  superiority  we  are  yet  but  very  insignificant  beings 
when  compared  to  Him,  and  that  therefore  it  becomes 
us  humbly  to  trust  in  Him,  to  believe  in  His  good- 
ness, wisdom,  and  justice  in  all  things,  and  to  pray  to 
Him,  so  that  through  the  power  of  prayer,  our  natures 
may  be  strengthened,  our  souls  invigorated,  and  thus 
be  the  better  enabled  to  triumph  over  sin,  so  as  to  ac- 
complish our  destiny  and  be  happy  here  and  hereafter.4' 

To  obey  God,  therefore,  becomes  only  the  conse- 
quence of  loving  and  adoring  Him,  and  this  we  must 
do  by  observing  all  those  duties  contained  in  the  Reli- 
gious Truths  and  in  the  Moral  Laws  taught  by 
Judaism. 

Our  next  duties  are  those  we  owe  our  fellow- 
men,  and  these  are  embodied  in  the  Divine  pre- 
cept :  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 
To  fulfil  these  duties  we  must  abstain  from  doing  or 
saying  anything  against  our  fellow-men,  which  we 
would  not  like  them  to  do  or  say  against  us.  We 
must  be  just  in  all  our  actions,  and  as  fair  in  our  deal- 
ings with  others  as  we  would  like  others  to  be  with  us. 
We  must  perform  acts  of  charity  and  benevolence,41 
we  must  be  kind  and  forgiving,"  we  must  be  forbear- 
ing and  tolerant  ;48  and  in  the  performance  of  all 
these  duties  we  must  never  forget  that,  as  all  men  are 
God's  children,  we  are  bound  to  regard  all  men  as 
brothers,  irrespective  of  creed  or  nationality. 


49 


What  is  Judaism  r  31 

By  a  faithful  observance  of  these  duties,  we  will  be 
enabled  to  fill  worthily  all  the  social  stations  of  life, 
and  in  our  relations  to  our  fellow-beings  bring  happi- 
ness on  them  and  happiness  on  ourselves,  and  thus 
place  us  on  the  road  to  perfection,  which  is  the  grand 
object  of  religion. 

With  these  duties  toward  God  and  our  fellow-men, 
we  have  also  duties  to  perform  to  ourselves. 

The  chief  of  these  is,  to  use  all  our  energies  and 
faculties  for  the  attainment  of  our  God-like  destiny. 
We  must  therefore  cultivate  our  minds,  and  store  them 
with  all  the  treasures  of  learning,  as  far  as  we  have  the 
ability.50  But  especially  must  we  acquire  religious 
knowledge,  for  that  is  the  greatest  of  knowledge,  since 
it  leads  us  to  perfection. 51  We  must  be  industrious, 
temperate,  and  patient ;  holy  in  our  thoughts,  holy  in 
our  feeling.0,  and  endeavor  to  attain  happiness  on 
earth  and  eternal  happiness  in  the  future  world  by  ob- 
serving all  the  laws  of  our  Maker,  and  feeling  that  the 
nearer  we  in  our  lives  approach  unto  Him,  the  nearer 
are  we  to  that  state  of  perfection  and  happiness  for 
which  we  are  intended. 62 

This,  then,  is  our  Religion. 

And  now  we  ask,  where  is  there  a  belief  so  true,  so 
pure,  so  godly  as  Judaism  ?  Is  not  Judaism  Religion  ? 
Is  not  Judaism  life,  spirit  ?  Has  it  not  the  stamp  of 
God  upon  it  ?  Surely  it  is  a  great  power,  a  power 
which  has  been  working  from  time  immemorial,  a 


3  2  What  is  Judaism  ? 

power  which  will  forever  work,  animating  mankind, 
reforming  mankind,  elevating  mankind,  and  glorify- 
ing mankind  with  its  hallowed  influence. 

Thus  far  have  we  considered  the  first  phase  of 
Judaism,  which  is  the  greater,  for  it  is  its  eternal  phase. 
It  is  under  this  phase  that  Judaism  becomes  pure  re- 
ligion, and  that  we  as  Jews  become  God's  missionaries 
upon  earth  to  teach  mankind  the  knowledge  of  their 
Father,  and  his  word  of  truth. 

There  is  yet  another  phase,  however,  under  which 
Judaism  is  of  peculiar  interest  to  us  as  Jews  alone, 
and  this  is  its  temporal  phase.  But  before  we  pro- 
ceed to  examine  Judaism  according  to  this  phase, 
some  preliminary  remarks  are  necessary. 

Religion  lives  with  man  and  is  a  portion  of  his  na- 
ture. At  no  time  since  the  creation  of  the  world  has 
this  power  been  inoperative.  Long  before  the  Bible 
was  written,  Religion  exercised  its  influence  and  gave 
repeated  manifestations  of  its  existence.  Thus  in  the 
life  of  the  very  first  man,  we  find  the  religious  senti- 
ment recognizing  God  and  feeling  the  immensity  of 
His  Spirit.  In  the  picture  presented  to  us  of  the  early 
happiness  of  Adam,  previous  to  his  having  yielded  to 
his  material  propensities,  we  discover  his  religious 
nature  rejoicing  in  the  love  of  God  and  soaring  up 
toward  Him  in  humble  recognition  of  its  own  supe- 
riority, and  yet  of  its  own  dependence.  And  when, 
having  sinned,  we  hear  him  confessing,  "Thy  voice 


What  is  Judaism  j>  33 

I  heard  in  the  garden  and  I  was  afraid,"  *  we  again 
perceive  the  influence  of  religion  in  the  power  of  his 
conscience,  which  makes  him  feel  ashamed  to  meet 
his  God  and  bitterly  reproaches  him  for  his  sin.  So 
also  when  Abel  in  grateful  appreciation  of  the  bless- 
ings of  God  offers  up  to  Him  a  portion  of  his  earthly 
treasures,  he  is  actuated  by  the  promptings  of  his  re- 
ligious nature,  which  at  that  early  age  associated  the 
worship  of  God  with  the  presentation  of  gifts,  in  the 
hope  thereby  to  propitiate  His  favor.54  Again,  when 
jealousy  and  envy  combine  to  produce  the  unnatural 
crime  of  fratricide,  we  hear  the  voice  of  Religion  pro- 
nouncing the  great  truth  :  "Sin  lieth  at  the  door, 
and  unto  thee  is  its  desire,  but  thou  canst  rule  over 
it.""  At  a  later  period  of  the  world's  history  the  re- 
ligious sentiment  of  man  becomes  more  purified,  and 
Abraham  perceives  in  God,  not  the  Being  who  is  alone 
vested  with  Supreme  power,  not  the  Being  who  covets 
sacrifice  and  desires  the  debasement  of  his  creatures, 
but  the  Infinite  God  of  Love,  who  having  created  man 
in  His  own  divine  image,  who  having  bestowed  upon 
him  an  immortal  soul,  which  is  capable  of  being 
elevated  to  the  highest  point  of  honor,  delights  to  see 
him  elevating  that  soul  and  ennobling  those  feelings 
which  constitute  his  God-like  nature."  Following  in 
the  path  of  religious  thought  traced  out  for  them  by 

• 

their   illustrious    progenitor,   the    Patriarchs  continue 
the  holy  work  of  disseminating  religious  knowledge 


34  What  is  Judaism  j3 

and  impressing  mankind  with  the  true  belief  in  God.67 
And  at  length  arises  the  immortal  legislator  who  is 
destined  by  God  to  establish  a  nation  and  to  give  that 
nation  laws  and  statutes,  which  while  preserving  its 
nationality  and  rendering  it  distinct  and  peculiar 
among  all  nations,  as  long  as  it  was  necessary  for  its 
nationality  to  be  preserved,  would,  at  the  same  time, 
give  it  the  capacity  to  receive  and  retain  those  divine 
truths  and  those  moral  laws  which  form  the  very  es- 
sence of  religion,  and  thus  cause  it  to  become  so 
thoroughly  permeated  with  the  pure  spirit  of  Religion, 
as  to  enable  it,  not  alone  to  exist  without  the  aid  of 
those  national  laws  and  statutes,  but  also  to  conquer 
the  world  and  bring  all  mankind  to  the  same  state  of 
religious  truth,  and  so  place  the  entire  human  race  on 
the  road  to  perfection  and  supreme  happiness. 

Thus  it  is  Religion  which  has  formed  the  Bible,  and 
not  the  Bible  which  has  formed  Religion. 

But  to  what  advantage  were  those  national  laws  and 
statutes,  if  in  themselves  they  form  not  the  principle 
of  religion? 

The  history  of  the  human  race  incontestably  proves 
that  religion  has  existed  among  all  nations,  how  crude 
or  imperfect  soever  their  moral  and  intellectual  culture 
may  have  been.68  But  because  religion  has  always 
lived  with  man  and  will  forever  live  with  man,  and 
because  man  is  a  creature  of  progression  requiring 
time  to  develop  his  higher  faculties,  and  because  this 


What  is  Judaism  r>  35 

development  being  essential  to  happiness  will  be  eter- 
nal, Religion  manifests  itself  in  a  people  according 
to  that  people's  moral  and  intellectual  standard.  The 
great  power  of  the  religious  sentiment,  innate  in  the 
breast  of  man,  is  to  direct  his  attention  to  a  Superior 
Being,  and  to  make  him  feel  that  it  is  his  duty  to 
worship  that  Being.  But  upon  this  very  worship  Re- 
ligion assumes  different  phases,  according  to  the  de- 
velopment of  its  votaries  and  the  times  in  which  they 
live.  Thus,  in  connection  with  the  spirit  of  religion, 
arose  those  outward  manifestations  of  religious  feeling, 
which  tending  to  familiarize  man  with  the  spirit  and 
to  promote  the  great  end  of  religion — human  perfec- 
tion and  happiness — have  also  assumed  the  name  of 
religion,  and  have  come  to  be  regarded  as  such 
through  the  force  of  association.  At  first,  however, 
these  outward  manifestations  had  no  intention  of  ren- 
dering the  mind  familiar  with  the  spirit  of  religion, 
but  were  intended  solely  to  give  expression  to  the  re- 
ligious feeling  which  then  regarded  worship  as  its 
chief  end  and  aim.  Thus  among  all  rude  and  unciv- 
ilized nations  the  idea  of  God  is  associated  with  the 
idea  of  a  superior  power,  before  which  the  inferior 
must  bow  and  pay  homage.  Hence  came  sacrifices, 
which  formed  the  most  conspicuous  feature  in  the 
worship  of  ancient  nations.  The  end  to  be  gained  by 
these  sacrifices  was  the  propitiation  of  the  Deity,  the 
idea  being  that  by  offering  up  to  '  Him  something 


36  What  is  Judaism  ? 

which  was  prized  very  dearly,  by  depriving  themselves 
of  what  they  valued  most,  by  enduring  privations  and 
sufferings,  they  might  either  appease  His  wrath  or 
win  His  favor.  The  rudest  form  of  giving  expres- 
sion to  this  feeling  was  in  human  sacrifice.  All  those 
nations  which  were  plunged  into  barbaric  heathenism, 
regarded  this  form  as  the  greatest  token  of  piety  and 
reverence  for  their  gods. 6*  But  this  is  indeed  the  very 
lowest  degree  of  religious  feeling,  for  this  misconcep- 
tion of  the  Divine  Being  tends  to  degrade  man  by 
forcing  him  to  do  violence  to  his  natural  feelings  and 
affections. 

Now  it  must  be  remembered  that  when  Judaism 
made  its  appearance,  the  entire  world  was  in  darkness 
upon  the  subject  of  spiritual  religion.  The  religious 
feeling  could  not  grasp  anything  higher  than  the  con- 
ception of  a  God  and  the  recognition  of  his  power. 
It  had  yet  to  be  trained  to  see  in  God  the  perfection 
of  purity,  the  embodiment  of  love.  It  was  this  task 
which  Judaism  had  to  perform  in  its  earliest  days. 
But  as  to  accomplish  this,  was  to  introduce  into  the 
world  a  new  idea,  and  as  all  new  ideas,  especially  in 
the  field  of  religious  thought,  have  to  battle  with  old 
established  customs  and  predilections,  it  would  have 
been  impossible  for  Judaism  to  have  entered  upon  its 
mission  of  reforming  the  world,  without  being  invested 
with  an  outward  covering  of  a  coarser  nature,  so  as  to 
protect  it  in  the  struggle  which  it  would  have  to 


What  is  Judaism  f> 

encounter.  Especially  was  this  necessary  when  we 
recollect  that  the  Israelites,  who  were  to  be  the  deposi- 
taries of  this  Idea,  were  themselves  undeveloped  and 
uncultivated. 

True,  in  religious  feeling  they  were  very  superior 
to  their  neighbors,  for  they  recognized  in  God  a  Unit, 
and  knew  that  human  sacrifice  was  murder ;  but  still, 
having  for  years  witnessed  the  debasing  rites  of  the 
Egyptians,  they  were  entirely  unable  to  comprehend 
the  abstract  idea  of  religion  ;  and  the  very  Idea  would 
have  been  crushed  out  even  among  themselves,  had  it 
not  been  for  its  coat  of  mail,  in  which  it  was  purposely 
enveloped."  Hence  those  national  laws  and  statutes 
which  Moses  imparted  to  the  children  of  Israel,  were 
of  considerable  advantage,  and  even  bore  the  sanction 
of  God,  since  they  acted  as  the  preservers  of  the  Re- 
ligious Idea,  and  were  well  calculated  to  serve  as  the 
means  to  the  end.  Thus  have  we  Judaism  in  its 
temporal  phase,  and  according  to  the  considerations 
already  given  we  are  enabled  to  define  it  as  follows  : 

Judaism  is  that  peculiar  system  of  Religion  which 
embraces  all  those  national  laws  and  statutes  prescribed 
by  Moses,  the  founder  and  legislator  of  the  Jewish 
nation, — for  the  Jews  alone,  and  obligatory  only  upon 
them,  so  that  by  means  of  those  national  laws  and 
statutes,  the  minds  of  the  people  may  become  more 
purified,  and  the  people  holier  and  more  sanctified, 
and  thus  be  the  better  prepared  to  retain  and  pro- 


38  What  is  Judaism  ? 

mulgate  those  Divine  Truths  and  Moral  laws  which 
constitute  the  very  essence  of  pure  Judaism  and  of 
pure  Religion. 

Very  many  of  these  statutes  have  lost  their  practica- 
bility since  the  overthrow  of  the  Jewish  nation  as  a 
body  politic,  and  the  destruction  of  the  Temple.  And 
this  is,  above  all,  the  greatest  proof  of  the  truth  of  our 
religion.  THE  IDEA  is  CAPABLE  OF  LIVING  WITHOUT 

ITS  MATERIAL  COVERING. 

These  national  laws  and  statutes,  be  it  remembered, 
were  intended  by  the  legislator  only  to  serve  as  the 
means  to  the  end  ;  they  were  never  to  usurp  the  place 
of  the  spirit  of  Religion  ;  they  were  not  destined  to  be 
eternal,  but  yet  they  had  the  sanction  of  the  Deity,  and 
are  obligatory  upon  Israelites  as  long  as  they  effect 
the  purpose  for  which  they  were  intended. 

As  soon,  however,  as  Reason  has  decided  that  the  lime 
for  their  observance  has  passed,  that  they  no  longer  effect 
their  purpose,  that  according  to  the  age  in  which  we  live, 
the  religious  Idea,  if  requiring  an  outer  covering  at  all, 
needs  one  of  different  materials  ;  then  the  observance  of 
them  has  forever  passed,  and  a  continuance  of  them  is  but 
a  violation  of  those  grand  eternal  principles  which  consti- 
tute pure  Judaism. 

To  such  class  belong  the  laws  of  sacrifices.  Ani- 
mal sacrifice,  though  not  so  degrading  and  immoral 
as  human  sacrifice,  is  yet  but  a  token  of  a  very  low 
religious  state  of  feeling.  Sacrifice  was  never  com- 


What  is  Judaism  ?  39 

nranded  by  Judaism ;  it  was  only  tolerated.  The 
Israelites,  rude  and  uncivilized  as  they  were  when  they 
left  the  chains  of  the  Egyptian  serfdom,  could  not 
naturally  have  been  expected  to  have  shaken  off,  at  the 
very  commencement  of  their  religious  career,  a  custom 
which  every  nation  regarded  as  pertaining  to  religion, 
and  one  which  they  had  witnessed  for  centuries.  Hence 
to  have  deprived  them  of  this  means  of  giving  expres- 
sion to  their  religious  sentiment  would  again  have 
been  to  have  crushed  out  the  Idea  immediately  :  so 
sacrifices  were  tolerated,  but  only  tolerated.  As  soon 
as  the  proper  moment  arrived,  the  best  of  Israel's 
leaders  denounced  them.  Thus  the  Prophets — Israel's 
greatest  reformers — continually  inveighed  against  the 
sacrificial  observances ;  and  indeed  to  such  an  extent 
did  Jeremiah  carry  his  opposition  to  this  mode  of  de- 
grading the  Divine  Being  and  the  divine  nature  of 
man,  that  he  actually  contradicted  the  very  assertions 
of  Moses,  for  where  the  legislator  had  sanctioned  sac- 
rifices in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  Jeremiah  declared 
with  remarkable  emphases — "I  spake  not  unto  your 
fathers,  saith  the  Lord,  nor  commanded  them,  when 
I  brought  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  concerning 
burnt-offerings  or  sacrifices. "  We,  at  this  age,  can 
perfectly  understand  that  Jeremiah's  words  were  not 
contradictory  to  Moses' ;  since  Moses,  also,  knew  the 
baneful  consequences  of  sacrifices,  and  only  permitted 
them  through  the  force  of  circumstances,  and  because 


4O  What  is  Judaism  /> 

Religion  lives  with  man,  and  must  adopt  such  outward 
manifestations  as  the  state  of  man's  intellect  permits  ; 
but  surely  at  the  age  when  Jeremiah  lived,  his  words 
to  the  Israelitish  nation  must  have  seemed  little  bet- 
ter than  rebellion  against  the  very  word  of  God. 

Yet  did  the  sacrifices  fall.  During  the  second  Tem- 
ple, in  which  sacrifices  were  continued,  houses  of 
Prayer  arose  as  rivals  to  the  Temple,  and  became 
infinitely  above  it  in  real  religious  importance. "  And 
why  was  this  ?  Because  sacrifices  had  entirely  lost 
their  hold  upon  the  Jewish  people.  The  nation  had 
developed  and  could  well  sustain  the  religious  Idea 
without  the  aid  of  sacrifice.  As  soon  therefore  as  the 
Second  Temple  is  destroyed,  sacrifice  vanishes  for- 
ever, and  is  lost  to  the  Jewish  people  as  it  is  to  the 
world.  If  then  we  attempt  to  establish  religion  upon 
the  basis  of  sacrificial  worship,  if  we  attempt  to  assert 
that  sacrifice  has  only  vanished  for  a  time,  and  must 
be  commemorated  by  certain  additional  prayers  and 
ceremonies,  if  we  attempt  to  look  back  upon  the  an- 
cient mode  of  worship  with  feelings  of  regret,  and  long 
for  a  return  of  such  worship — then  indeed  are  we  little 
better  than  the  rabble  who  came  forth  from  Egypt ; 
then  indeed  do  we  long  for  a  relapse  into  heathenism, 
and  become  unworthy  to  continue  our  mission  of 
promulgating  God's  Word  of  Truth. 

SACRIFICE  is  DEAD.     THE  JEWISH  NATIONALITY  AS  A 

SEPARATE      POLITICAL      ORGANIZATION     IS    OVERTHROWN. 


What  is  Judaism  ?  41 

THE  BELIEF  IN  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ISRAEL  TO  THE 
LAND  OF  THEIR  FATHERS,  AND  THAT  THE  REDEEMER 
WILL  COME  TO  ZlON,  is  AN  EXPLODED  THEORY  ;  AND  GOD 
BE  PRAISED  FOR  ALL  HlS  MERCIES. 

To  such  class  also  belong  the  Dietary  Laws,  which 
indeed  were  very  valuable  for  the  people  to  whom 
they  were  given,  in  the  age  in  which  they  existed,  and 
for  the  countries  for  which  they  were  intended.  As 
sanitary  laws,  they  are  even  now  of  importance  at  cer- 
tain seasons  of  the  year  and  in  certain  climates,  but 
that  they  are  Religious  Laws,  or  that  they  were  ever 
intended  as  such,  the  very  spirit  of  Religion  de- 
nies. 

To  such  class  also  belong  all  those  laws  which  have 
reference  to  the  political  government  of  the  Israelitish 
nation,  which  being  no  longer  in  existence,  the  laws 
themselves  are  of  course  inoperative. 

And  now  we  will  consider  those  laws  and  statutes 
which  have  not  yet  lost  their  practicability,  but  which 
form  Judaism  according  to  its  temporal  phase,  and 
will  continue  to  be  obligatory  upon  Israelites,  until 
history  has  set  them  aside. 

These  laws  may  be  divided  into  two  classes  :  ist, 
The  Holy  Seasons,  and  2d,  The  Ceremonies. 

The  Holy  Seasons  are  those  days  and  especial 
portions  of  the  year  appointed  for  rest,  prayer,  and 
reflection.  They  are  :  i.  The  Sabbath  ;  2.  The  Three 
Festivals,  Passover,  Pentecost,  and  Tabernacles ;  and 

4* 


42  What  is  Judaism  r1 

3.  The  Two  Great  Holy  Days,  New  Year  and  Day  of 
Atonement. 

The  Sabbath  is  the  fundamental  statute  of  Judaism. 
Through  its  observance  we  are  the  better  enabled  to 
realize  and  appreciate  all  the  blessings  which  are  con- 
ferred by  those  divine  truths  and  moral  laws  which 
constitute  pure  religion.  The  Sabbath  is  one  of  the 
greatest  means  of  sanctification,  because  it  relieves  us 
from  the  yoke  of  worldly  labor,  invigorates  our  minds 
and  bodies,  thereby  rendering  them  better  fitted  for 
the  duties  of  life,  and  affords  us  the  opportunity  of 
reflecting  upon  the  goodness  of  God,  the  beauty  of 
His  works,  the  wisdom  of  His  laws,  and  our  own 
God-like  nature  and  heavenly  destiny.  Symbolically, 
the  Sabbath  is  a  type  of  what  a  good  man's  life  should 
be  every  day ;  but  as  labor  is  the  lot  of  man,  as  he  is 
wisely  compelled  to  work  for  his  living,  and  as  many 
have  indeed  to  toil  with  all  their  energies  for  the 
means  of  providing  for  the  necessities  of  themselves 
and  families,  the  Sabbath  literally  becomes  a  day  of 
rest,  a  day  of  comfort,  and  above  all,  a  day  of  holi- 
ness. It  is  the  oldest  religious  institution,  for  it  is 
coeval  with  the  creation.  It  commemorates  that  au- 
gust event,  proclaims  God  as  the  sole  author  of  the 
universe,  and  reminds  us  of  the  glorious  mission 
which  it  has  pleased  God  to  bestow  upon  us. 

To  Israelites,  therefore,  the  observance  of  the  Sab- 
bath is  especially  obligatory  ;  and  to  fulfil  our  duty  in 


What  is  Judaism  r>  43 

this  respect,  we  must  abstain  from  the  usual  avo- 
cations of  the  week  by  which  we  earn  our  liveli- 
hood, and  devote  the  day  to  communion  with  our 
Heavenly  Father,  to  meditation  on  the  excellencies  of 
religion,  to  rational  and  innocent  pleasures,  and  to 
those  domestic  and  social  enjoyments  which  are  so 
pleasing  in  the  sight  of  the  Beneficent  Parent  of 
mankind.63 

The  Festivals  represent  God  as  the  Preserver  and 
Ruler  of  the  World,  and  are  intended  to  be  vivid 
testimonies  of  that  love  and  benevolence  so  con- 
stantly manifested  by  Him  towards  all  His  creatures. 
They  are  accordingly  affixed  to  those  seasons  of  the 
year  when  the  protecting  power  of  God  is  especially 
visible.  At  the  same  time  they  commemorate  im- 
portant events  in  the  past  history  of  Israel,  and  pro- 
claim God  as  the  Guardian  of  Israel,  who  watches 
over  His  chosen  people  and  protects  them  from  the 
machinations  of  their  enemies,  so  as  to  accomplish 
through  their  instrumentality  His  glorious  design  of 
universal  happiness  and  perfection. 

The  Festival  of  Passover,  called  also  the  Feast  of 
Unleavened  Bread  and  the  Feast  of  Redemption,  is 
celebrated  in  the  season  of  Spring,  at  the  time  of  the 
ripening  of  the  grains  in  the  land  of  Palestine. 

Its  observance  commences  on  the  eve  of  the  fifteenth 
day  of  the  first  month,  ATisan,  and  continues  seven 
days.  Of  these,  however,  only  the  first  and  last  days 


44  What  is  Judaism  j3 

are  considered  holy.  The  Festival  is  the  birthday 
feast  of  liberty,  and  is  commemorative  of  Israel's 
deliverance  from  Egyptian  bondage.  As  such,  its 
annual  return  is  hailed  with  feelings  of  joy  and  grati- 
tude ;  the  more  so,  as  with  the  event  of  this  redemption 
our  nation  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  its  heavenly 
mission,  and  went  forth  into  the  world  as  the  religious 
teachers  of  mankind. 

Its  name,  Pasach  or  Passover,  is  derived  from  the 
sacrificial  repast  prepared  by  our  forefathers  on  the 
eve  of  their  redemption,  in  token  of  their  faith  in  the 
promised  deliverance.  It  is  termed  the  feast  of  Un- 
leavened Bread  on  account  of  the  Mosaic  command, 
by  virtue  of  which  nothing  leavened  was  to  be  eaten 
during  the  Festival,  in  order  to  commemorate  the 
exodus  of  the  Israelites  from  Egypt,  which  was  ef- 
fected in  such  haste  as  to  prevent  them  from  even 
leavening  the  dough  which  they  had  taken  with  them 
at  their  departure.  The  most  important  portion  of 
the  Festival  is  the  first  night,  because  it  commemorates 
that  august  occasion  when  "with  a  strong  hand  and 
an  outstretched  arm"  the  Lord  God  broke  the  iron 
bonds  of  tyranny,  and  proclaimed  freedom  as  the 
inalienable  right  of  man.  For  this  reason  it  has  ever 
been  the  pious  custom  in  Israel  to  celebrate  that  night 
with  songs  of  praise  and  thanksgiving,  and  to  render 
the  home  a  temple  of  devotion,  wherein  the  memory 
of  an  event  so  fraught  with  the  most  glorious  results 


What  is  Judaism  f  45 

to  the  world  at  large,  may  be  cherished  by  those  who 
are  the  depositaries  of  the  true  religious  idea  and  of 
God's  holy  word  of  truth. 64 

The  Festival  of  Pentecost  is  celebrated  on  the  sixth 
day  of  the  third  month,  Sivan,  which  is  the  fiftieth 
day  after  the  first  day  of  Passover.  It  is  held  in  the 
season  of  harvest,  and  originally  had  no  other  signifi- 
cance than  that  of  celebrating  the  conclusion  of  the 
harvest,  which,  in  the  land  of  Palestine,  usually  lasted 
fully  seven  weeks.  For  this  reason  it  is  called  Sha- 
buoth,  or  "  Feast  of  Weeks. "  Religious  solemnities 
and  rejoicing  were  the  characteristics  of  the  Festival, 
and  during  the  existence  of  the  Jewish  nationality 
and  the  Temple  in  Jerusalem,  two  full  measures  of 
fine  flour  had  to  be  prepared  into  sacrificial  bread  as 
an  offering  of  gratitude.  Hence,  the  Festival  is 
termed  also  the  "Feast  of  the  Full  Harvest,"  and 
the  "Feast  of  the,  First  Offering."  The  Mishna 
furthermore  called  it  "Azereth,"  or  "Festival  of 
Conclusion,"  having  reference  to  the  conclusion  of 
the  harvest. 66 

In  later  times,  however,  another  and  very  important 
significance  became  attached  to  this  Festival,  .for  a 
historical  reminiscence  connected  with  Israel's  mission 
was  introduced,  which  gave  it  additional  sanctity.  This 
was  no  other  than  the  memory  of  the  Decalogue, 
which,  through  the  power  of  inspiration,  figuratively 
represented  in  the  Bible  by  the  revelation  on  Mount 


46  What  is  Judaism  ? 

Sinai,  was  communicated  to  Israel  as  the  root  and 
foundation  of  all  religion,  to  be,  by  them,  transmitted 
to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world. 

The  connection  between  the  memory  of  this  event  and 
the  harvest  feast  is  perfectly  natural,  for  aside  from  the 
consideration  that  the  delivery  of  the  Ten  Proclamations 
is  supposed  to  have  taken  place  on  the  fiftieth  day  after 
the  exodus  of  the  Israelites  from  Egypt,  these  Divine 
Commandments  constitute  the  richest  spiritual  harvest 
which  man  has  ever  received.  Upon  them  every  sys- 
tem of  theology  has  been  established.  They  have 
been,  and  will  forever  remain,  throughout  all  times 
and  generations,  sufficient  to  nourish  and  sustain  the 
religious  idea  in  the  mind  of  man.  Of  their  inestima- 
ble value,  all  religious  denominations  which  claim  to 
partake  of  civilization  are  living  witnesses.  ' '  They 
represent  to  us,"  writes  a  celebrated  Christian  divine, 
"  both  in  fact  and  in  idea,  the  granite  foundation,  the 
immovable  mountain  on  which  the  world  is  built  up, 
without  which,  all  theories  of  religion  are  but  as  shift- 
ing and  fleeting  clouds ;  they  give  us  the  two  homely 
fundamental  laws,  which  all  subsequent  revelation  has 
but  confirmed  and  sanctified — the  law  of  our  duty 
towards  God,  and  the  law  of  our  duty  towards  our 
neighbor. " es 

The  Festival  of  Tabernacles  is  held  in  the  seventh 
month,  Tishri,  and  lasts  seven  days.  It  commences 
on  the  fifteenth,  and  ends  on  the  twenty-first ;  but  the 


What  is  Judaism  ?  47 

first  day  is  the  only  one  which  is  sacred.  Celebrated  as 
an  autumnal  festival,  at  that  peculiar  season  of  the  year 
when  the  ingathering  of  all  the  productions  of  the 
fields  takes  place,  it  truly  becomes  a  festival  of  gratitude 
and  of  thanksgiving  to  God  for  the  innumerable 
favors  which  He  so  lavishly  bestows  upon  His  children. 
At  the  same  time  the  Festival  is  intended  to  com- 
memorate the  especial  goodness  of  God  in  preserving 
our  forefathers  during  the  forty  years  they  wandered  in 
the  wilderness,  prior  to  their  entry  in  the  land  of  Pal- 
estine. In  order  more  forcibly  to  impress  this  event 
upon  our  minds,  the  Bible  ordains  the  dwelling  in 
booths  or  temporary  houses,  by  virtue  of  which  the 
Festival  derives  its  name  as  the  Festival  of  Tabernacles 
or  Booths. 

The  day  immediately  following  the  seventh  day  is 
termed  Azereth,  or  the  concluding  feast,  and  is  also 
kept  holy.  The  intervening  days  between  the  first 
day  of  Tabernacles  and  the  Azereth  feast  are  half  holy- 
days  similar  to  the  intervening  days  between  the  first 
and  last  days  of  Passover,  and  are  called  Choi  Hamoed. 
On  these  days  the  usual  business  avocations  of  life  are 
permitted.  The  entire  Festival,  together  with  the 
ceremonies  observed  on  the  occasion,  symbolically 
represent  the  rich  blessings  which  God  in  His  good- 
ness is  pleased  to  bestow  upon  man  through  the 
workings  of  Nature.  They  appeal  to  the  imagination, 
inspire  the  heart  with  sentiments  of  love  and  devotion, 

•%   '  "^     <*  ~  * 


48  What  is  Judaism  /> 

and  proclaim  the  Eternal  Creator  as  the  great,  good, 
pure,  and  holy  Father  of  all,  who,  loving  the  beings 
formed  by  His  creative  hand,  and  seeking  to  promote 
their  happiness,  adopts  the  surest  means  for  accom- 
plishing this  end,  and  makes  all  nature  subservient  to 
His  will.67 

The  two  great  holy-days  are  not  intended  either  to 
refer  to  certain  natural  phenomena  or  to  commemorate 
historical  events  in  the  life  of  Israel,  but  they  are 
founded  on  the  moral  nature  of  man,  and  on  those 
peculiar  qualities  which  render  man  human.  The 
union  between  body  and  soul,  the  intimate  connection 
between  the  physical  and  spiritual  propensities  often 
engenders  sin,  and  makes  man  forget  his  heavenly 
mission  and  his  glorious  destiny. 

To  afford  him  the  means,  therefore,  of  regaining  that 
position  of  eminence  which  he  originally  maintained 
before  matter  had  triumphed  over  spirit,  our  Religion 
has  instituted  the  two  great  holy-days — New  Year  and 
Day  of  Atonement — to  act  as  the  means  whereby  the 
end  may  be  attained.  For  on  these  days  the  Israelite 
is  called  upon  to  examine  his  past  life,  to  turn  his 
thoughts  from  worldly  matters,  to  scrutinize  his  actions, 
to  test  his  moral  and  religious  state,  to  become  con- 
scious of  his  failings,  and  to  atone  for  them  sincerely 
before  God.  Rosh  Hashana,  or  New  Year,  called  also 
Yom  Zikaron  (Day  of  Memorial),  and  Yom  Teruah 
(Day  of  the  Cornet),  is  celebrated  on  the  first  day  of 


What  is  Judaism  r  49 

the  seventh  month,  the  commencement  of  the  year 
being  affixed  to  the  autumnal  equinox.  In  the  Bib- 
lical time,  New  Year's  Day  was  not  kept  as  such,  but 
was  regarded  as  a  festival  which  was  to  proclaim  the 
advent  of  the  seventh  month,  in  which  the  holiest  of 
days  (Day  of  Atonement)  and  the  most  joyful  of 
feasts  (Feast  of  Tabernacles)  were  to  be  observed, 
and  for  this  purpose  the  cornet  is  ordered^  to  be 
sounded  on  that  day.  At  a  later  period,  however, 
when  it  was  felt  necessary  to  celebrate  a  feast  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  year  without  introducing  a  new  festival 
for  this  purpose,  it  was  found  the  more  appropriate  and 
expedient  to  connect  the  celebration  of  this  desired  New 
Year's  Day  with  the  Day  of  the  Cornet,  as  this  day 
being  the  only  festival  which  falls  on  the  first  day  of 
the  month,  and  the  precursor  of  the  great  Day  of 
Atonement,  affords  the  right  mood  for  those  serious 
meditations  which  the  New  Year  invites.  On  this  day, 
perhaps  more  than  on  any  other,  we  regard  God  as  the 
King  and  Judge  of  the  world.  We  are  aroused  to  a 
consciousness  of  His  greatness  and  of  our  own  noth- 
ingness, we  discover  the  frailty  of  life,  we  acknow- 
ledge our  proneness  to  sin,  and  before  the  Throne  of 
Grace  we  humbly  confess  our  failings  and  transgres- 
sions, and  implore  the  Divine  forgiveness.  Thus  is 
afforded  us  the  opportunity  of  effecting  our  peace  with 
Heaven,  and  of  atoning  for  our  sins  through  the 
medium  of  repentance." 


50  What  is  Judaism  P 

The  Day  of  Atonement  (Yom-Hakipurim)  is  cele- 
brated on  the  tenth  of  the  seventh  month,  Tishri,  and 
is  regarded  as  the  holiest  of  all  the  days  in  the  year. 
Emphatically  termed  in  the  Bible  the  Sabbath  of  Sab- 
baths, it  imposes  upon   us  the  most  serious  obliga- 
tions, for  not  only  must  we  abstain  from  all  worldly 
occupations,   but  also  from  all  physical  enjoyments. 
Increased  devotional  exercises,  fervent  prayer,  a  con- 
scientious retirement  from  the  outer  world,  a  rigid  self- 
examination,   and  an  earnest  and  sincere  atonement 
are  to  be  the  characteristics  of  that  most  holy  day. 
The  institution  of  the  Day  of  Atonement  is  founded 
upon  the  weakness  and  the  power  of  man, — upon 
the  weakness,  because  man  is  a  human  being,  and  is 
liable  to    the  failings  of  frail   mortality; — upon   the 
power,  because  man  is  formed  in  the  image  of  God, 
partakes  in  a  degree  of  His  Divine  essence,  combines 
spirit  with  matter,  and  is  capable  of  subduing  his  ma- 
terial yearnings  by  the  strong  will  of  his  spirit.     The 
Day  of  Atonement  exemplifies  three  essential  truths 
of  Judaism  :   i.  Repentance  is  necessary  to  every  one, 
because  there  is  no  one  so  good  as  not  at  some  time 
to  commit  sin.      2.  God  is  gracious,  all  merciful,  and 
forgiving.     He  desires  not  the  death  of  the  wicked, 
but   rather  that    they  may  return  to   Him   and  live  ; 
therefore  He  pardons  the  truly  repentant  sinner  and 
opens  to  him  the  gates  of  eternal  salvation.     3.  Man 
needs  no  Mediator  to  go  between  him  and  his  God ; 


What  is  Judaism  j3  51 

he  and  he  only  must  and  can  atone  for  his  sins  by 
repenting  and  amending  his  course  of  conduct. fi9 

Therefore  are  these  two  great  holy-days — New  Year 
and  Day  of  Atonement — regarded  by  Jews  in  every 
part  of  the  world  with  the  greatest  reverence,  not  be- 
cause they  think  or  believe  that  God  is  nearer  to  them 
on  these  days  than  at  any  other  time  in  the  year,  but 
because  they  feel  that  these  institutions  contain  the 
genuine  spirit  of  religion  ;  and  by  removing  them  for 
the  time  being  from  the  thoughts  and  actions  of  the 
world,  they  are  brought  nearer  to  God,  by  which 
means  they  will  gain  additional  strength  to  conquer 
the  desires  of  the  body,  to  elevate  the  qualities  of  the 
soul,  and  thus  to  approach  that  state  of  perfection 
which  is  the  highest  pinnacle  of  godliness  and  of 
supreme  felicity. 

Thus  far  have  we  considered  the  Holy  Seasons  as 
ordained  by  Moses,  and  which  continue  to  be  re- 
garded as  Judaism,  because  the  time  has  not  yet 
arrived  to  set  them  aside. 

Besides  these,  however,  we  celebrate  two  half-festi- 
vals, instituted  in  later  times  in  commemoration  of 
some  happy  events  which  occurred  in  the  history  of 
Israel.  These  are  the  Feast  of  Purim  and  the  Feast 
of  Channuccah. 

The  usual  avocations  of  life  are  permitted  on  these 
occasions ;  and  indeed  they  partake  of  no  sanctity 
whatever,  being  merely  historical  remembrances,  main- 


5  2  What  is  Judaism  i> 

tained  more  for  the  purposes  of  social  and  domestic 
enjoyment  than  for  any  intention  of  especial  devotion 
or  religious  service. 

The  Feast  of  Purim  is  celebrated  on  the  fourteenth, 
and  in  some  places  of  the  East  on  the  fifteenth  day  of 
the  twelfth  month,  Adar ;  except  in  a  leap-year,  when 
it  is  held  on  the  same  days  of  the  thirteenth  month, 
Adar  Shenee. 

It  commemorates  the  happy  deliverance  vouchsafed 
to  the  Jews  in  the  ancient  Persian  empire,  through 
the  medium  of  Esther  and  Mordecai,  when  the 
wicked  Haman  planned  the  destruction  of  the  He- 
brew race  throughout  the  entire  dominion  of  the 
Persian  monarch. 

The  full  history  of  this  event  is  set  forth  in  detail  in 
the  Book  of  Esther,  and  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most 
pathetic  and  interesting  narratives  recorded  in  the 
Bible. 

The  Feast  of  Channuccah  commences  with  the 
twenty-fifth  day  of  the  ninth  month,  Kislev,  and  lasts 
eight  days.  It  is  intended  to  commemorate  the  glo- 
rious deeds  of  valor  accomplished  by  the  priestly 
family  of  the  Hasmoneans,  and  especially  by  their 
greatest  hero,  Judah,  surnamed  Maccabeus,  who  after 
a  severe  struggle  of  many  years  succeeded  in  effecting 
the  freedom  of  his  people  from  the  Greek  tyrant  An- 
tiochus  Epiphanes,  who  was  then  the  ruler  of  Judea. 
The  triumph  in  this  victory  consisted  in  the  restoration 


What  is  Judaism  f>  53 

of  the  Jewish  religion,  which  Antiochus  had  endeav- 
ored to  exterminate ;  for  when  the  immortal  Judah 
entered  Jerusalem,  his  first  care  was  to  repair  the 
Temple,  which  had  been  profaned  by  the  tyrant,  to 
re-dedicate  it,  and  to  illumine  it.  This  event  gave  rise 
to  the  name  of  the  Feast-Channuccah  signifying,  Feast 
of  Dedication.  The  various  incidents  connected  with 
the  wars  between  the  Maccabees  and  Antiochus,  to- 
gether with  all  the  events  of  the  victory,  the  restoration 
and  re-dedication,  are  to  be  found  in  the  Apocrypha, 
in  the  Books  of  the  Maccabees. 

Until  recently  it  was  also  the  custom  in  Israel  to 
observe  certain  fast-days  in  commemoration  of  what 
was  considered  as  sad  events  in  our  past  history,  and 
especially  of  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Temple.  The  fasting  on  these  days,  how- 
ever, was,  according  to  the  opinion  of  the  Prophets 
and  inspired  men  of  Israel,  only  custom,  and  no 
religious  requirement.70  Of  these  fasts  but  one  re- 
mains, that  of  the  Ninth  of  Ab,  still  held  as  the  day 
on  which  the  final  overthrow  of  the  Jewish  nationality 
occurred.  The  others  have  fallen  before  the  power 
of  education,  increased  religious  freedom,  and  the 
advance  of  thought.  With  the  progress  of  the  age, 
they  have  been  banished  from  our  religious  observ- 
ances, and  are  now  lost  to  Israel  as  they  are  to  the 
world.  The  Ninth  of  Ab,  though  by  no  means  ob- 
served as  a  day  of  fasting  and  humiliation,  is  unfor- 


54  What  is  Judaism  f> 

timately  maintained,  even  by  those  in  favor  of  decided 
progress  and  reform,  as  a  day  for  serious  reflections 
and  profound  solemnity.  Whereas  it  should  be  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  joyous  days  in  the  Jewish 
calendar,  for  it  was  indeed  a  blessing  to  Israel  and  to 
the  world,  that  the  Jewish  nationality  was  overthrown, 
the  Temple  destroyed,  and  the  Jews  scattered  unto 
the  four  corners  of  the  earth.  To  Israel  it  was  a 
blessing,  because  thenceforth  every  Israelite  became  a 
seed,  which,  sown  into  different  portions  of  the  world, 
was  hereafter  to  become  a  tree,  the  fruit  of  which 
should  even  be  as  the  tree  of  knowledge,  giving 
instruction  to  all  men.  Thenceforth  every  Israelite 
became  a  missionary  of  the  Most  High,  to  promulgate 
His  Word  of  Truth  and  to  diffuse  the  true  Religious 
Idea,  so  as  to  bring  happiness  and  perfection  to  the 
human  race.  To  the  world  it  was  a  blessing,  because 
through  the  Jews  and  through  Judaism  has  the  world 
learnt  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  of  those  grand 
moral  laws  which  have  been  framed  bv  Him  for  the 

•* 

government  of  His  children.  To  Israel  indeed  the 
world  owes  all  that  is  good  in  the  respective  theories 
on  religion  in  which  men_  believe;  and  though  the 
day  is  yet  far  distant  when  mankind  will  discard  the 
follies  of  creed  and  unite  in  the  pure  and  holy  prin- 
ciples of  Religion,  truly  and  surely  it  is  coming, 
through  the  help  of  Israel,  the  influence  of  Judaism, 
and  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God.  Surely,  then, 


What  is  Judaism  r*  55 

when  we  reflect  upon  the  mighty  changes  which  have 
been  wrought  by  the  hand  of  time,  we  cannot  feel 
otherwise  than  grateful  to  God  for  having  made  us 
the  instruments  whereby  so  much  good  has  been 
accomplished  !  Truly  the  Ninth  of  Ab,  the  day  when 
God  wisely  destroyed  our  political  existence  FOREVER  ; 
wisely  overthrew  our  Temple  and  our  Temple  wor- 
ship FOREVER  ;  wisely  dispersed  us  among  all  nations 
FOREVER, — is  becoming  more  and  more  recognized  as 
a  day  of  honor  and  triumph,  a  day  to  be  commem- 
orated by  the  purest  feelings  of  joy  and  gratitude. 

And  now,  having  considered  the  first  class  of  those 
laws  and  statutes  which  have  not  yet  lost  their  prac- 
ticability, but  which  form  Judaism  according  to  its 
temporal  phase,  we  turn  to  the  second  class,  and  pro- 
ceed to  consider  The  Ceremonies. 

The  Ceremonies  are  those  outward  observances 
commanded  with  the  intention  of  rendering  us  more 
familiar  with  the  spirit  of  religion,  and  accordingly 
either  remind  us  of  events  in  our  past  history  or  of 
some  religious  truths.  In  all  cases  they  are  to  serve 
merely  as  the  means  to  the  end,  but  never  are  they  to 
usurp  the  place  of  the  spirit  of  religion,  which  alone 
is  capable  of  rendering  our  actions  acceptable  in  the 
sight  of  God.  These  Ceremonies  may  be  classified 
under  the  following  heads  :  ist.  The  Divine  Service  ; 
2d.  The  rites  connected  with  that  service  and  with 
the  observance  of  the  Festivals  ;  3d.  The  ordinances 


56  What  is  Judaism  ? 

by  which  we  outwardly  attest  our  high  calling,  of  be- 
ing a  people  peculiarly  selected  and  consecrated  by 
God  to  be  His  missionaries  upon  earth. 

The  Divine  Service  is  founded  on  the  principle 
that  prayer  is  essential  to  our  happiness,  since  it 
affords  us  the  means  of  communicating  with  our 
Heavenly  Father,  and  pouring  out  to  Him  the  emo- 
tions of  our  souls,  thereby  rendering  us  better  fitted 
for  the  performance  of  those  grand  duties  of  life  which 
are  to  lead  us  to  perfection  and  supreme  happiness. 

This  service  is  either  PUBLIC — held  in  a  sanctuary 
especially  devoted  and  dedicated  to  that  purpose,  and 
in  the  presence  of  an  assembly  of  at  least  ten  persons  ; 
or  PRIVATE — held  alone  or  in  the  family  circle. 

Public  worship  is  of  especial  importance  :  first,  be- 
cause it  acts  as  the  centre  of  union  of  our  nation ; 
and  secondly,  because  the  effect  thus  produced  upon 
the  individual  cannot  be  equalled  by  any  private  de- 
votion, how  solemn  or  pious  soever  it  may  be.  The 
regular  assembling  together  of  the  individual  mem- 
bers of  a  family,  and  of  many  distinct  families,  in  one 
common  house,  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  the  same 
God — the  impressions  thus  produced  by  this  mingling 
of  strangers  at  the  shrine  of  religion,  must  tend  to  fos- 
ter a  love  for  that  religion,  and  to  cement,  in  a  lasting 
bond  of  union,  the  members  of  that  race  which  is 
destined  to  live,  dispersed  throughout  the  world,  until 
such  time  as  its  glorious  mission  shall  have  been 


What  is  Judaism 


accomplished,  and  all  God's  children  shall  belong  to 
one  common  family  and  believe  in  one  common  reli- 
gion. Thus  public  worship  acts  as  the  centre  of 
union  of  our  nation.  So,  also,  this  scene  of  an  entire 
congregation  united  together  for  the  holy  purpose  of 
praising  God  ;  the  sublime  beauty  of  the  prayers  ;  the 
solemn  and  heart-stirring  strains  of  music  and  song ; 
and,  above  all,  the  spiritual  seed  sown  by  the  sermon, 
must  take  effect  upon  the  individual,  and  must  raise 
the  soul  heavenwards  in  a  far  greater  degree  than 
when  in  solitude  or  even  in  the  family  circle.  Thus, 
in  a  spiritual  point  of  view,  public  worship  is  likewise 
to  be  regarded  as  possessed  of  much  importance  to 
each  and  every  individual.73 

Public  worship,  to  be  efficacious,  should  consist  of 
two  elements,  Devotion  and  Instruction. 

To  the  former  belong  :  i.  The  Confession  or  Proc- 
lamation of  God's  Unity,  called  the  "Shemang;" 
2.  The  Prayer  proper,  called  "Tefillah,"  and  con- 
taining Praises,  Petitions,  and  Thanks.  To  the  lat- 
ter belong  :  i.  Readings  from  the  Law ;  2.  Readings 
from  the  Prophets  ;  3.  The  Sermon  or  Religious 
Discourse. 

These  elements  of  the  Ritual  were  instituted  by  the 
"Men  of  the  Great  Assembly,"  and  were  observed 
even  during  the  existence  of  the  second  Temple  of 
Jerusalem.  The  ritual  itself,  however,  such  as  has 
been  used  until  lately  by  the  great  mass  of  Israelites, 


58  What  is  Judaism  r> 

was  not  an  emanation  from  any  ecclesiastical  author- 
ity vested  with  supreme  power,  nor  was  it  the  produc- 
tion of  any  one  distinctive  epoch,  but  was  the  result 
of  the  gradual  formation  of  many  centuries,  and  the 
aggregate  of  individual  contributions. 

Hence  it  is  the  perfect  right  of  each  and  every  con- 
gregation to  adopt  such  ritual  as  is  best  adapted  to  the 
spiritual  requirements  of  the  members,  and  is  most  in 
accordance  with  the  demands  of  the  age.  The  ritual  of 
the  Jews  has,  as  already  stated,  been  the  result  of  the 
work  of  centuries.  It  is,  therefore,  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  it  should  at  length  have  assumed  those  gigantic 
proportions  which  characterize  the  old  Minhag  of  the 
so-called  Orthodox  Jews.  Loaded  with  extracts  from  the 
Mishna  and  Talmud,  replete  with  needless  repetitions 
containing  sentiments  antagonistic  to  the  spirit  of  the 
age,  and  with  petitions  the  utterance  of  which  in  the  pres- 
ent period  of  our  history  is  little  better  than  deliberate 
falsehood  and  blasphemy;  it  seemed  as  though  the 
Jewish  idea  of  prayer  was  founded  on  the  number  of 
pages  and  the  bulk  of  the  volume.  Whereas  Judaism, 
even  as  regarded  in  its  temporal  phase,  repudiates  such 
idea,  and  emphatically  maintains  that  prayer  is  only 
prayer  when  it  proceeds  from  the  heart  and  is  uttered  in 
that  language  which  is  understood  by  the  one  who  prays. 
The  very  Doctors  of  the  Tradition — those  who  claim 
infallibility  for  the  Talmud — assert  that ' '  better  is  a  little 
prayer  with  devotion  than  a  great  deal  without  devo- 


What  is  Judaism  j>  59 

tion. "  72  Therefore,  when  the  Reform  School  of  Juda- 
ism arose  and  declared  that  the  Ritual  of  the  Jews  was  a 
disgrace  to  Jews,  to  the  age,  to  the  country  in  which  we 
live,  and  above  all,  to  the  spirit  of  our  Religion,  it  merely 
echoed  the  simple  teachings  of  Judaism  ;  and  it  accord- 
ingly acted  only  consistently  with  those  teachings  when 
it  discarded  the  old  ritual  and  prepared  others,  which 
should  contain  the  elements  prescribed  by  the  "Men 
of  the  Great  Assembly,"  while  at  the  same  time  they 
should  exclude  everything  unsuitable  to  our  times  and 
condition.  Important  as  have  been  the  changes  made 
within  the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  and  many  as  have 
been  the  prayer-books  written,  published,  and  adopted 
by  individual  congregations,  there  yet  exists  no  form 
of  prayer  which  is  thoroughly  in  consonance  with  the 
spirit  of  Judaism.  Prayer  to  be  efficacious,  and  to  be 
indeed  prayer,  must  be  understood.  Now,  in  a  coun- 
try like  ours,  where  English  is  the  vernacular,  where 
the  rising  generation  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  are  Ameri- 
cans, English  should  form  no  small  feature  in  the 
public  religious  services  of  the  Jews.  The  want  of  this 
feature  is  one  of  the  crying  evils  which  exist  in  our 
midst.  It  is  one  of  the  great  defects  in  the  prayer- 
books  of  the  Reform  School. 

With  the  exception  of  but  one  congregation,78  the 
prayers  are  performed  either  in  Hebrew  or  in  German, 
or  in  both.  English  is  altogether  ignored.  True,  most 
prayer-books  contain  an  English  translation,  but  this 


60  What  is  Judaism  P 

surely  is  not  sufficient  if  that  translation  is  never  read 
in  public,  or  if  the  Hebrew  is  not  understood.  And 
the  Hebrew  is  not  understood  ;  for  to  their  shame 
be  it  said,  the  majority  of  our  brethren  are  satisfied 
if  their  children  are  able  to  read  the  original  lan- 
guage without  comprehending  the  meaning  of  a 
single  word.  If,  then,  the  Hebrew  tongue  is  not 
to  be  studied — if  there  is  no  necessity  to  impart  a 
knowledge  of  that  language  in  which  the  sacred  volume 
is  written,  if  Hebrew  is  to  be  entirely  expunged  from 
the  curriculum  of  our  school  studies,  then  should  it 
be  altogether  abolished  from  the  sancuiarv.  There 

O  -- 

remains,  therefore,  but  one  alternative  :  either  public 
worship  must  be  conducted  mainly  in  English,  or  it 
must  become  a  mere  pretence  to  the  rising  generation, 
for  certainly  German  is  not  thoroughly  understood 
by  the  mass. 

To  ignore  German,  however,  would  be  to  deprive 
many  of  the  worshippers  of  the  only  means  of  render- 
ing their  prayers  truly  acceptable  ;  and  to  abolish  the 
Hebrew  altogether  from  our  services,  would  be  to 
take  away  from  Israel  a  very  effective  means  of  pre- 
serving that  union  which,  from  time  immemorial, 
has  existed  among  the  members  of  our  scattered  peo- 
ple. The  time  has  not  yet  arrived  when  Hebrew  can 
be  safely  dispensed  with.  Israel  must  still  be  a  unit; 
Israel  must  still  be  linked  together  by  the  mystic  tie  of 
the  Hebrew  tongue ;  for  Israelites  have  still  to  work 


What  is  Judaism  ?  6 1 

together  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  Heavenly 
mission.  The  time  will  assuredly  arrive  when,  with 
God's  blessing,  every  vestige  of  error,  of  idolatry,  of 
false  belief,  of  bigotry,  of  superstition,  of  ignorance, 
will  be  banished  from  the  earth  ;  when  all  the  petty 
differences  which  various  religious  systems  now  build 
up,  to  separate  the  children  of  one  eternal  Father, 
wrill  become  merged  in  a  lasting  bond  of  union  ; 
when  there  will  be  no  more  Jews  and  no  more 
Christians,  no  more  Mahomedans,  no  more  Pa- 
gans ;  when  the  world  will  no  longer  resound  with 
the  clamor  of  opposing  doctrines ;  but  when  all 
mankind  will  be  regenerated  by  the  universal  recog- 
nition of  God's  Divine  Rule  ;  when  all  mankind  will 
hail  each  other  as  brothers,  and  rejoice  in  the  glorious 
title  of  MAN  ;  when  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world 
will  unite  in  acknowledging  God  as  the  sole  and  Om- 
nipotent Lord,  Ruler,  and  Savior  of  His  creatures ; 
when  Peace  and  Love,  Virtue  and  Knowledge,  shall 
reign  among  men  ;  when  there  wall  be  but  one  God 
and  one  Religion,  one  Kingdom  and  one  Temple, 
one  Creator  and  one  Human  Family.  All  this  will, 
undoubtedly,  be  accomplished  in  God's  own  good 
time  ;  for  then  will  be  the  true  Messianic  period, 
and  then  will  Israel's  mission  be  fulfilled.  But,  as  yet, 
the  realization  of  God's  gracious  promise,  foretold  by 
Israel's  prophets  through  the  power  of  inspiration, 

the    advent   of '  that  glorious    event,   lies    hidden   in 

-  •  •  •   i 

6 


j  n  1 


. 


62  What  is  Judaism  ? 

the  womb  of  time  ;  and  though  we  are  to-day  nearer 
to  that  eventful  period  than  at  any  past  epoch  in  the 
world's  history,  we  are,  nevertheless,  exceedingly  far 
from  it,  and  may  remain  so  for  ages  to  come.  There- 
fore must  Israel — the  agent  through  whom  this  spir- 
itual regeneration  of  the  world  is  to  be  effected — still 
continue  to  be  united  by  certain  external  forces ; 
and  foremost  among  these  forces  is  the  power  of  the 
Hebrew  language.  Enough  schisms  have  taken 
place  in  the  camp  of  Israel,  enough  differences 
exist,  enough  heart-burnings  have  been  caused.  The 
rise,  progress,  and  development  of  the  Reform  School 
of  Judaism  have  been  unwisely  permitted  to  loosen 
those  ties  of  love  which  should  bind  our  people  to- 
gether. And  though  we  firmly  believe  in  the  saying 
of  our  ancient  sages,  that  "every  discord,  for  a  holy 
purpose,  tends  in  the  end  to  a  consolidation,"  l  yet  we 
cannot  but  pray  to  God  to  put  an  end  to  these  dis- 
cords, and  to  awaken  Israel  to  a  full  sense  of  the  po- 
sition which  we  are  now  called  upon  to  take  in  the 
moral  race  which  is  agitating  the  world.  Let  not  the 
Hebrew,  then,  be  abolished  from  our  public  religious 
services  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  let  it  occupy  a  con- 
spicuous part,  so  that  it  may  act  as  the  beacon-light 
for  those  poor  misguided  travellers  who  are  now  grop- 
ing their  way  in  darkness,  and  blindly  walking  in  the 
paths  traced  out  for  them  by  a  mis-styled  Orthodoxy, 
because  they  know  nothing  of  the  Reform  doctrines, 


What  is  Judaism  ?  63 

and,  in  consequence  of  that  ignorance,  hate  Reform 
and  all  its  votaries.  But,  aside  from  these  consid- 
erations, once  let  the  Hebrew  language  be  entirely 
abolished  from  our  religious  services,  and  it  will  soon 
cease  altogether  to  be  studied.  Then  will  a  massive 
library  of  literature — which,  for  beauty  of  style,  pro- 
fundity of  thought,  sublimity  of  sentiment,  cannot 
be  equalled  by  the  literature  of  any  nation,  pro- 
fane or  sacred — become  lost  to  Israel  and  to  the 
world. 

No  !  we  are  not  yet  ready  for  the  total  abolition 
of  Hebrew.  Let  it  remain ;  but  for  the  sake  of  all 
that  is  pure  and  noble,  for  the  sake  of  virtue  and 
honor,  for  the  sake  of  religion,  for  the  sake  of  truth, 
let  it  be  properly  acquired,  so  that  the  words  of  prayer 
which  are  put  up  to  Heaven  in  it,  may  indeed  be 
prayer,  and  not  a  mere  hollow  outward  pretension,  a 
deception  of  the  weakest  nature.  But  while  Hebrew 
is  to  be  thus  studied  and  maintained,  it  must  also  be 
remembered  that  under  existing  circumstances,  pre- 
judices, and  predilections,  it  would  be  rather  improba- 
ble that  the  mass  of  Israelites  in  this  country  would 
at  once  admit  and  appreciate  the  necessity  for  its  culti- 
vation and  maintenance.  Much  time  would,  there- 
fore, have  to  be  consumed  before  the  rising  generation 
would  so  thoroughly  understand  the  Hebrew  language 
as  to  be  enabled  to  pray  in  it.  And  if  even  this  were 
so,  we  have  a  duty  to  perform  to  our  Christian  breth- 


64  What  is  Judaism  ? 

ren  in  placing  before  them  the  doctrines  of  our  faith 
and  the  prayers  we  offer  to  our  God,  in  that  language 
which  they  best  understand.  Now  it  is  altogether  im- 
possible for  Hebrew  ever  to  become  that  language, 
and  it  is  certainly  quite  improbable  that  German  will 
eventually  usurp  the  place  of  English.  Be  this,  how- 
ever, as  it  may,  it  is  a  fact  patent  to  all,  that  English 
is  at  the  present  time  the  vernacular  of  these  States, 
and  accordingly  English  must  be  employed  as  the 
medium  of  disseminating  our  principles,  and  of  giving 
utterance  to  our  orisons.  From  these  considerations 
it  then  becomes  evident,  that  our  public  Divine  Wor- 
ship, to  be  truly  efficacious,  should  be  performed  in 
the  Hebrew,  English,  and  German  languages, — that 
is,  the  prayers  should  be  read  in  the  Hebrew  and 
English,  and  the  sermon  spoken  alternately  in  the 
English  and  German  languages.  That  the  desire 
even  for  German  preaching  will  eventually  cease,  is, 
to  us,  a  settled  matter,  but  until  such  time  arrives,  it 
would  be  unwise  to  deprive  a  large  portion  of  our 
brethren  of  pulpit  instruction.  In  holding  religious 
exercises  in  two  or  even  more  languages,  we  can  see 
nothing  inconsistent,  nothing  strange,  and  certainly 
nothing  in  antagonism  to  the  Jewish  Idea.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  have  a  uniform  Ritual,  nor  would  any 
practical  good  arise  therefrom.  At  no  time  in  our 
history  have  we  had  a  general  Minhag,  and  it  is  not 
likely  we  will  ever  have  one,  simply  because  it  is  not 


What  is  Judaism  ?  65 

necessary.  Israel  can  remain  a  unit  without  a  uni- 
form prayer-book  ;  but  Israel  cannot  remain  a  unit 
if  the  Hebrew  is  to  be  expunged  :  nor  can  our  public 
religious  services  become  worthy  of  the  name  of 
Prayers,  unless  the  language  of  the  country,  the  lan- 
guage which  is  best  understood — English — is  used 
to  a  considerable  extent.  In  this,  then,  much  has  to 
be  reformed  ere  the  Reform  School  of  Judaism  should 
be  content  to  repose  upon  its  laurels,  and  lay  down 
the  gauntlet  it  has  taken  up  in  defence  of  the  true 
Judaic  Idea.  But  still  greater  evils  exist  in  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  element  of  Instruction  is  fulfilled. 

As  already  stated,  Public  worship  must  consist  of  two 
elements — Devotion  and  Instruction  ;  to  the  latter  of 
which  belong  :  i.  Readings  from  the  Law.  2.  Read- 
ings from  the  Prophets.  3.  The  sermon  or  Religious 
Discourse.  Among  "so-called"  Orthodox  Congre- 
gations, it  is  customary  to  read  the  Law,  by  which  is 
meant  the  Pentateuch  or  Five  Books  of  Moses,  once 
in  every  year ;  that  is,  to  read  a  certain  portion  every 
Sabbath,  beginning  with  the  first  chapter  of  the  book 
of  Genesis,  and  continuing  on  the  following  week 
from  the  place  at  which  the  previous  week's  portion 
was  terminated,  and  so  on,  until  the  work  has  been 
read  through  to  the  last  verse  of  Deuteronomy. 

According  to  this  rule,  an  enormous  portion  of  the 
Bible  is  recited  every  Sabbath,  the  fatigue  of  which, 
added  to  the  unbecoming  manner  in  which  it  is  read, 

6* 


66  What  is  Judaism  ? 

and  the  ridiculous  tone  of  voice  or  intonation  which 
accompanies  it,  renders  this  part  of  the  service  intolera- 
bly irksome,  and  consequently  devoid  of  any  religious 
sentiment  whatsoever. 

Among  Reform  congregations  the  reading  of  the 
Law  is  gone  through  once  in  every  three  years,  thus 
materially  lessening  the  weekly  Sabbath  portions  ;  and 
in  some  few  congregations,  though  very  few,  this  is 
even  done  once  in  every  seven  years.  The  tri-annual 
cycle  of  reading  the  Law,  it  may  be  well  to  state,  was  the 
custom  which  prevailed  in  ancient  times  in  the  land 
of  Palestine,  with  the  full  sanction  of  the  highest 
ecclesiastical  authorities.  Important  as  this  reform 
has  been,  when  compared  with  the  miscalled  orthodox 
system,  it  yet  does  not  come  up  to  the  spirit  of  the 
age  and  the  requirements  of  the  Judaic  Idea. 

Judaism,  it  must  again  be  asserted,  is  Religion,  and 
Religion  is  life,  spirit ;  it  is  neither  letter  nor  law.  The 
Bible  is  the  word  of  God  only  when  it  is  construed  from 
its  spiritual  signification.  There  is  nothing  supernatural 
about  the  Bible.  It  is  not  a  revelation  of  God's  will 
imparted  to  any  certain  man  under  mysterious  circum- 
stances, nor  is  it  a  direct  communication  from  God  to 
man.  It  is  a  book,  and  only  a  book  ;  a  book  written  by 
mortal  hands,  a  book  containing  ideas,  sentiments, 
and  doctrines  emanating  from  the  brain  of  man.  But 
this  by  no  means  diminishes  aught  from  its  lustre, 
since  it  is  the  greatest  of  all  works,  and  bears  upon  its 


What  is  Judaism  /  67 

face  the  impress  of  divinity.  For  in  every  passage, 
aye,  in  every  word  in  which  the  pure  spirit  of  religion 
is  to  be  found,  there  also  is  the  direct  work  of  God, 
since  He  it  is  who  vouchsafed  to  man  those  sublime 
conceptions  of  Himself  which  have  been  transmitted 
to  the  world  through  the  pages  of  the  Bible.  It  is  in 
this  way  that  God  communicates  His  will  to  man — it 
is  in  this  way  only  that  the  revelation  which  is  con- 
stantly coming  to  us  through  the  workings  of  nature 
can  be  fully  developed.  Wherever  then,  in  the  Bible, 
the  spirit  of  religion  is  seen, — wherever  the  sentiments 
which  it  contains  harmonize  with  the  innate  senti- 
ment of  Religion  which  God  has  implanted  in  the 
breast  of  man,  and  which  becomes  gradually  more 
and  more  developed  according  as  man  comes  away 
from  the  dominion  of  the  senses  and  enters  the  do- 
minion of  the  intellect,  according  as  man  becomes  less 
the  material  being  and  more  the  spiritual  being, 
according  as  man  progresses  in  reason,  in  education, 
in  thought ; — there,  indeed,  is  the  Bible  the  true  inspired 
word  of  God,  and  as  such  is  entitled  to  our  highest 
veneration.  But  the  Bible  contains,  and  must  ne- 
cessarily contain,  more  than  the  spirit  of  Religion, 
for  being  in  the  first  place  partly  the  record  of  certain 
historical  events,  and  partly  laws  and  regulations  in- 
tended for  the  government  of  the  Israelitish  nation 
under  especial  circumstances ;  and  in  the  second  place, 
being  in  its  details  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  the 


68  What  is  Judaism  P 

people  who  were  contemporaneous  with  its  author  or 
authors,  it  certainly  must  contain  matter  which  not 
only  does  not  partake  of  the  spirit  of  Religion,  but  is 
even  devoid  of  any  further  interest  to  us  at  the  present 
time,  than  that  it  affords  us  the  means  of  studying  the 
past,  and  becoming  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the 
growth  and  development  of  the  Jewish  nation  and 
the  Judaic  Idea.  Now,  how  important  or  interesting 
soever  such  information  may  be,  it  surely  ought  not 
to  be  thrust  before  public  notice  during  Divine  wor- 
ship in  the  House  of  God.  The  very  sentiment  of 
devotion  must  be  lessened  when  the  attention  is  de- 
manded for  matters  in  which  the  soul  can  find  no 
enjoyment.  Nor  is  this  all ;  for  the  careful  reader  of 
the  Bible  must  know  that  there  are  many  chapters 
which  are  positively  unfit  to  be  read  aloud  in  a  public 
assemblage,  and  which  certainly  would  not  be  tolerated 
in  decent  society  if  read  aloud  in  English.  Why,  then, 
ought  they  to  be  permitted  in  the  Hebrew  language  ? 
Is  this  not  in  itself  positive  proof  that  the  Hebrew  is 
not  understood,  and  that  consequently  this  portion  of 
the  service  is  a  mockery  and  deception  ? 

It  is,  indeed,  sad  to  find  how  people,  although  de- 
cidedly in  favor  of  progress  and  reform,  can  be  so 
wedded  to  the  past  as  to  be  content  to  permit  such 
anomalies  to  be  presented  to  the  world  under  the  garb 
of  Judaism. 

The  Reform  School  has  yet  to  accomplish  the  task 


What  is  Judaism  ?  69 

• 

of  amending  the  Scriptural  portions  recited  in  public 
during  the  hours  of  divine  service  ;  and  this  can  easily 
be  done,  either  by  expunging  from  the  biblical  por- 
tions such  as  are  unfit  for  our  times  and  condition,  or 
by  ceding  to  the  Clergymen  of  the  respective  houses 
of  worship  the  right  of  determining  what  chapters 
shall  be  recited  aloud  in  the  sanctuary.  In  like  man- 
ner, also,  should  the  Readings  from  the  Prophets  be 
regulated.  The  Prophets  were,  indeed,  the  chosen 
depositaries,  the  agents  of  the  true  religious  Idea ;  and 
their  beautiful  words  of  inspiration  portray  their  deep 
love  for  their  God,  their  religion,  and  their  country, 
and  exhibit  in  bright  colors  the  magnificent  con- 
ceptions they  formed  of  Israel's  calling  and  Israel's 
glorious  destiny.  Truly  it  may  be  said,  that  Israel's 
greatest  Reformers  were  the  Prophets.  Yet  even  their 
writings  should  not  be  indiscriminately  read  aloud  in 
the  Sanctuary.  Care  should  be  taken  in  the  selection 
of  the  passages,  so  that  nothing  might  be  introduced 
into  the  service  which  is  not  fully  adapted  to  our  time, 
condition,  and  requirements. 

As  essential  as  the  Readings  from  the  Law  and  the 
Prophets,  is  the  Sermon,  or  Religious  Discourse. 
No  house  of  worship  should  be  without  its  regular 
Preacher.  The  institution  of  the  Pulpit  is  one  of  the 
oldest  in  Judaism.  It  was  original  in  our  faith,  and 
has  from  us  been  borrowed  by  the  followers  of  all 
religious  systems.  It  therefore  becomes  our  bounden 


What  is  Judaism  i> 

• 

duty  to  foster  this  institution,  to  labor  for  it,  and  to 
maintain  it,  as  one  of  the  greatest  auxiliaries  to  the 
Jewish  Idea.  Until  within  comparatively  late  years, 
however,  the  Jews  of  this  country  have  not  been  fully 
sensible  of  the  great  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the 
Pulpit ;  and  even  at  the  present  day,  the  Jewish  Pul- 
pit of  the  United  States  is  in  a  very  unsatisfactory  con- 
dition ;  for  in  many  of  our  Synagogues  there  exists 
no  pulpit  at  all,  and,  with  but  few  exceptions,  those 
which  maintain  pulpits  do  so  only  in  the  German 
language.  Now,  all  that  has  been  said  about  the 
necessity  of  conducting  the  ritual  mainly  in  English 
will  apply  just  as  forcibly  to  the  Pulpit.  Vernacular 
preaching  in  this  country  is  indispensable,  if  the  Re- 
form School  of  Judaism  desires  to  continue  the  holy 
work  of  disseminating  the  true  Judaic  Idea,  and  of 
bringing  Jews  and  Gentiles  to  one  common  faith. 
There  are  certainly  a  few  preachers  who  speak  to  the 
people  in  the  English  language  ;  but  of  these  few, 
only  four  are  enabled  to  claim  the  English  as  their 
mother  tongue.  Yet  there  are  over  two  hundred  con- 
gregations in  the  United  States. 

This  great  want  will  soon  have  to  be  supplied  ;  for 
a  marked  change  is  coming  over  our  people,  and  the 
desire  for  English  discourses  is  being  daily  mani- 
fested. Already  some  of  the  leading  Congregations 
have  taken  measures  towards  obtaining  the  services 
of  divines  capable  of  preaching  in  the  vernacular, 


UI1TI1 


rf          °ar 

What  is  Judaism  P  '  ''fi. 


and  have,  praiseworthily,  determined  to  support  an 
English  as  well  as  a  German  Pulpit,  so  that  the  re- 
quirements of  all  classes  will  be  properly  fulfilled. 
So  soon  as  the  great  majority  of  Congregations  shall 
have  progressed  so  far  as  to  have  arrived  at  this  stage  ; 
so  soon  as  a  proper  ritual  shall  have  been  adopted, 
which  will  effectually  answer  our  time  and  condition, 
so  soon  will  the  Public  Worship  of  the  Jews  be  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  spirit  of  Judaism  and  the  object  for 
which  Public  Worship  is  held. 

Upon  the  subject  of  Private  Worship,  but  few  words 
are  necessary.  In  this,  as  in  our  public  services,  the 
prayers  we  offer  up  to  the  Throne  of  Grace  must 
not  be  mere  lip-service,  performed  so  as  to  keep 
within  the  letter  of  the  law,  but  must  spring  from  the 
heart,  and  be  the  genuine  offspring  of  a  pious  mind. 
Accordingly,  it  would  not  be  desirable  to  fix  any  one 
particular  form  of  prayer  to  be  used  at  our  private  de- 
votions, in  preference  to  any  other  form.  Our  own 
prayers,  which  flow  spontaneously  from  the  soul,  and 
which  are  sent  upward  by  the  breath  of  sincerity,  how 
poor  soever  the  language  may  be,  are  the  more  ac- 
ceptable, in  the  sight  of  Him  who  readeth  the  heart, 
than  all  the  eloquent  and  learned  effusions  we  may 
utter,  if  unaccompanied  with  that  true  devotional  feel- 
ing, which  can  alone  render  the  words  which  escape 
our  lips  words  of  prayer.  Yet  while  this  freedom  is 
allowed  to  the  individual,  and  it  is  optional  with  him 


72  What  is  Judaism  ? 

to  pray  when  and  in  what  manner  his  own  feelings 
prompt,  it  would  be  well  for  us  all  to  accustom  our- 
selves to  regular  devotional  exercises,  morning  and 
evening,  and  at  meal-time.  Indeed,  the  Bible  gives 
some  intimation  of  this,  in  many  passages.75 

The  reading  of  the  Bible  and  other  religious  books, 
also  comes  under  the  head  of  private  worship,  and 
forms  one  of  the  most  efficacious  means  of  preserving 
man's  communion  with  God,  and  guarding  him 
against  sinking  into  complete  worldliness.  Thus 
through  Divine  Worship,  be  it  Public  or  Private,  man 
is  constantly  reminded  of  his  divine  origin,  of  his 
immortal  soul,  and  of  his  heavenly  destiny  ;  and  by 
thus  being  trained  to  direct  his  thoughts  above  the 
material  desires  and  cravings  of  life,  he  is  led  on  the 
road  to  perfection  and  to  supreme  happiness. 

The  second  division  of  The  Ceremonies,  as  already 
stated,  comprises  the  rites  connected  with  the  Divine 
service,  and  with  the  observance  of  the  Festivals. 

These  rites — which  are  nothing  more  than  those 
outward  manifestations  which  all  ceremonial  religion 
adopts,  in  order  to  impress  the  minds  of  the  people, 
and  especially  those  of  the  uneducated  classes,  more 
strongly  with  the  nature  of  the  service — have  grad- 
ually diminished  before  the  efforts  of  the  Reform 
School,  and  will,  doubtless,  vanish  altogether  before 
another  generation  shall  have  passed  from  earth. 

Those  which  still  remain  among  us  to  show  that 


What  is  Judaism  ?  73 

we  have  not  yet  arrived  at  a  proper  appreciation  of  the 
true  inherent  beauties  of  Judaism,  are  :  first,  the  sound- 
ing of  the  Cornet  on  New  Year's  Day  ;  second,  the 
exhibition  of  the  Festive  wreath  during  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles ;  and  third,  the  kindling  of  extra  lights 
on  the  Festival  of  Channuccah.  Besides  these  rites, 
which  are  openly  performed  in  the  House  of  Worship, 
we  have  the  following  :  i.  Abstinence  from  leavened 
bread  on  the  Feast  of  Passover.  2.  The  eating  of 
unleavened  bread  on  the  first  night  of  this  Feast.  3. 
The  fast  on  the  Day  of  Atonement.  Among  the  most 
progressive  of  our  co-religionists,  however,  the  first 
has  already  commenced  to  fall  into  desuetude. 

The  third  division  of  The  Ceremonies  is,  the  ordi- 
nances by  which  we  outwardly  attest  our  high  calling 
of  being  a  people  peculiarly  selected  and  consecrated 
by  God  to  be  His  missionaries  upon  earth. 

These  Ordinances,  which  were  also  given  by  Moses 
for  certain  wise  purposes,  and  were  to  femain  opera- 
tive so  long  as  the  times  and  condition  of  the  Israel- 
ites demanded  them,  have,  like  the  Rites,  become  by 
degrees  abrogated,  until  the  only  one  which  now 
remains  is  The  Circumcision. 

This  ordinance  does  not  properly  come  under  the 
category  of  ordinances  given  by  Moses,  since  it  dates 
back  to  the  days  of  Abraham,  who,  according  to  the 
Bible,  first  conceived  the  idea  of  thus  implanting  in 
the  flesh  the  seal  of  the  covenant — in  other  words,  of 


74  What  is  Judaism  / 

thus  pre-eminently  distinguishing  Israel  as  a  peculiar 
people,  selected  and  appointed  for  some  especial  pur- 
pose.76 It  has,  therefore,  at  all  times  been  regarded 
with  great  veneration,  and  will,  most  probably,  endure 
longer  than  any  other  of  the  Ceremonial  Laws.  That 
it  must  fall  eventually,  however,  is  as  certain  as  that 
the  heavens  and  the  earth  exist.  And  when  the  time 
shall  have  arrived  for  the  nations  of  the  earth — the 
children  of  One  Eternal  God — to  be  brought  nearer 
to  each  other,  and  thus  to  fulfil  the  gracious  promise 
of  the  Almighty — that  through  Israel  all  the  families 
of  the  world  shall  be  blessed — then  truly  will  this  cere- 
mony have  been  abrogated  and  placed  among  the 
relics  of  a  past  age. 

To  hasten  this  glorious  event  should  now  be  the 
aim  and  hope  of  Israel.  We  have  seen  that  Judaism, 
regarded  in  its  Eternal  phase,  is,  indeed,  pure  religion, 
and  is  destined  to  become  the  faith  in  which  all  the 
world  will  eventually  believe.  We  have  seen  also  that 
Judaism  in  its  temporal  phase,  even  as  maintained  by 
the  Reform  School,  is  yet  capable  of  much  improve- 
ment ere  it  is  in  full  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the 
age  and  the  true  spirit  of  Religion.  It  behooves  us 
then  to  unite  heart  and  soul  in  purging  our  faith  from 
the  impurities  of  the  past — impurities  which  tarnish 
its  lustre  and  serve  only  as  impediments  to  the  fulfil- 
ment of  our  heavenly  mission.  Yes,  Israelites,  ours 
is  a  glorious  mission,  a  God-like  destiny,  a  brilliant 


What  is  Judaism  ?  75 

future  !  Much  have  we  already  done  towards  the  ele- 
vation of  mankind,  but  much  more  has  yet  to  be 
accomplished.  As  the  missionaries  of  the  Most  High, 
we  have  been  constant  in  our  calling,  and  willingly  or 
unwillingly,  we  have  been  compelled  to  work  out  His 
grand  idea  of  universal  fraternity.  We  have  taught 
the  world  sublime  truths  under  all  circumstances  and 
conditions  :  when  in  the  enjoyment  of  an  independ- 
ent political  nationality,  and  when  as  captives  on  the 
soil  of  our  conquerors  ;  when  as  aliens  in  strange 
lands,  down  trodden  and  oppressed  by  our  fellow- 
creatures,  and  when  as  citizens  in  those  states  and 
countries  over  which  the  flag  of  liberty  floats. 

Ever  true  to  the  leading  fundamental  idea  of  Ju- 
daism— the  Unity  of  God — we  have  in  all  ages  and 
climes  adopted  such  outward  aids  to  Religion  as  were 
most  conducive  to  the  preservation  of  the  inward  spirit. 
Let  us  then  not  flinch  from  our  mission,  now  that 
God  has  blessed  our  cause  and  opened  to  us  the  way 
of  reaching  the  hearts  of  the  nations  by  whom  we  are 
surrounded.  At  no  past  epoch  in  the  world's  history 
have  the  chances  been  as  favorable  for  the  dissemina- 
tion of  the  Judaic  Idea,  as  they  are  at  the  present 
time.  Let  us  avail  ourselves  then  of  the  opportunity  ; 
let  us  remove  the  bar  which  exists  between  man  and 
man ;  let  us,  by  our  own  acts,  give  the  world,  upon 
the  subject  of  our  Religion,  that  best  of  lessons — the 
lesson  of  example,  and  thus  draw  nearer  and  nearer 


76  What  is  Judaism  /> 

to  us  our  non-Jewish  brethren,  until  at  last  all  those 
petty  prejudices  which  ignorance,  bigotry,  and  super- 
stition have  established  to  separate  the  children  of  one 
common  Father,  become  merged  in  an  eternal  bond 
of  union. 

Then  will  the  words  of  the  Prophet  be  realized, 
"On  that  day  will  the  Eternal  be  acknowledged  One 
and  His  name  be  One." 

May  the  Almighty  Parent  of  all,  in  His  infinite 
mercy  and  love  for  His  creatures,  hasten  that  eventful 
day,  and  so  promote  the  happiness  of  Israel,  the  hap- 
piness of  mankind,  and  the  glory  and  honor  of  His 
great,  good,  and  hallowed  name,  which  we  most  fer- 
vently praise  and  bless  now  and  evermore. 


NOTES   AND   REFERENCES. 


1  "  I  the  Lord  have  called  thee  in  righteousness,  and 
will  lay  hold  on  thy  hand  and  will  keep  thee  and  appoint 
thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people,  for  a  light  of  the  na- 
tions." (Isaiah  xlii.  6.) 

"  Maimonides. 

3  Sir  William  Hamilton. 

4  Pensees,  p.  i,  art.  iv.,  §  6. 

6  "  The  fool  saith  in  his  heart  there  is  no  God."  (Ps. 
xiv.  i.) 

'  The  greatest  thinkers  of  ancient  and  modern  times 
entertain  the  opinion  that  man's  happiness  does  not  con- 
sist so  much  in  the  actual  fulfilment  of  his  desires  as  in 
the  excitement  of  the  pursuit ;  in  other  words,  that  man's 
happiness  can  only  be  produced  by  continual  progres- 
sion. Thus  Aristotle  says,  "The  intellect  is  perfected, 
not  by  knowledge,  but  by  activity."  Plato  defines  man 
"the  hunter  of  truth."  "If,"  says  Malebranche,  "I 
held  truth  captive  in  my  hand,  I  should  open  my  hand 
and  let  it  fly,  in  order  that  I  might  again  pursue  and 
capture  it."  So  also  Lessing  remarks,  ".Did  the  Al- 
mighty, holding  in  his  right  hand  Truth,  and  in  his  left 
Search  after  Truth,  deign  to  tender  me  the  one  I  might 
prefer,  in  all  humility,  but  without  hesitation,  I  should 
request  Search  after  Truth."  "  Truth,"  says  Von  M tiller, 
"  is  the  property  of  God,  the  pursuit  of  truth  is  what  be- 
longs to  man;"  and  in  like  manner  Jean  Paul  Richter 
says,  "It  is  not  the  goal,  but  the  course  which  makes  us 
happy."  Compare  Sir  William  Hamilton's  Lectures  on 
Logic,  Lect.  i,  p.  8. 

T  "And  the  Lord  said  unto  Abraham  :   Get  thee  out 


7  8  Notes  and  References. 

of  thy  country and  in  thee  all  the  generations  of 

the  earth  shall  be  blessed"  (Genesis  xii.  1-3.) 

Vide  Deut.  ch.  4,  especially  v.  6,  as  follows:  "Keep 
therefore  and  do  them  ;  for  this  is  your  wisdom  and  your 
understanding  before  the  eyes  of  the  nations,  that  shall 
hear  all  these  statutes,  and  will  say,  Nothing  but  a  wise 
and  understanding  people  is  this  great  nation." 

''And  ye  shall  be  unto  me  a  kingdom  of  priests,  and 
a  holy  nation."  (Exodus  xix.  6.) 

Isaiah  xlii.  6,  as  in  note  I. 

6  Even  in  the  Rabbinical  works,  which  often  contain 
very  bigoted  and  exclusive  ideas  upon  several  subjects, 
the  great  truth  is  told  that  man  is  responsible  to  God 
alone  for  his  religious  belief.  "  The  pious  of  all  creeds," 
say  the  fathers,  "have  a  share  in  the  future  world." 
The  doctrine  that  belief  in  one  particular  creed  is  essential 
to  salvation  is  nowhere  to  be  found  in  Judaism.  If, 
therefore,  so  much  freedom  of  thought  is  ceded  to  our 
neighbors,  and  the  grand,  leading  idea  of  Judaism  is  the 
universal  recognition  of  God  and  of  the  Moral  Law,  it 
surely  follows  that  in  the  mission  of  our  race  there  can 
be  no  exclusiveness,  but  that  the  divine  blessings  of  our 
Religion  are  destined  to  become  the  common  inheritance 
of  mankind. 

9  "  And  God  said  unto  Moses  :   Thou  canst  not  see  my 
face,  for  no  man  can  see  me  and  live. "  (Exodus  xxxiii.  20. ) 

10  "Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  whole 
earth  is  full  of  his  glory."  (Isaiah  vi.  3.) 

"Every  word  of  God  is  pure."  (Proverbs  xxx.  5.) 
"As  for  God,  His  way  is  perfect."  (2  Sam.  xxii.  31.) 

11  "The  heavens  and  the  heaven  of  heavens  cannot 
contain  Thee:"  (i  Kings  viii.  27.) 

"  And  take  ye  good  heed  unto  yourselves,  for  ye  saw 
no  form  on  the  day  that  God  spoke  unto  you  on  Horeb 
from  out  of  the  fire."  (Deut.  iv.  15.) 

12  "  Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth,  and  ere 
thou  hadst  formed  the  earth  and  the  world,  even  from 
everlasting  to  everlasting  thou  art  God."  (Psalm  xc.  2.) 

"I  the  Eternal,  I  change  not."  (Malachi  iii.  6.) 

13  "Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  One  Eternal 
God."    (Deut.  iv.  39.) 


Notes  and  References.  79 

"  Know  this  day,  and  reflect  in  thy  heart,  that  the  Lord 
is  God  in  the  heaven  above  and  on  the  earth  beneath, 
there  is  none  else."  (Deut.  iv.  29.) 

"  To  whom  will  ye  liken  and  assimilate  me,  and  com- 
pare me,  that  we  may  be  like?"  (Isaiah  xlvi.  5.) 

14  "  He  spoke,  and  it  was  done;   He  commanded,  and 
it  stood."  (Psalm  xxxiii.  9.) 

"  He  doth  great  things,  which  cannot  be  searched  out, 
and  wonders  without  number."  (Job  ix.  10. ) 

15  "Before  a  word  was  on  my  tongue,  thou,  O  Lord, 
didst  know  all."  (Psalm  cxxxix.  4.) 

"  The  eyes  of  God  survey  the  whole  world."  (Zechariah 
iv.  10.) 

"The  Lord  hath  with  wisdom  formed  the  earth,  and 
with  understanding  established  the  heavens."  (Prov.  hi. 
10.) 

16  "  Can  any  one  hide  himself,  and  I  not  see  him,  saith 
the  Lord,  do  I  not  fill  the  heavens  and  the  earth  ?"  ( Jer. 
xxiii.  24.)  Compare  Psalm  cxxxix.  7-10. 

17  "  Good  is  the  Lord  towards  all,  and  his  mercy  is  over 
all  his  creatures."  (Psalm  cxlv.  9.) 

"The  Rock — His  work  is  perfect,  for  all  His  ways 
are  just."  (Deut.  xxxii.  5.) 

"Far  it  is  from  God,  that  he  should  act  wrongfully, 
and  from  the  Almighty  that  he  should  do  injustice." 
(Job  xxxiv.  10. ) 

18  "For  as  heaven  is  exalted  above  the  earth,  so  are 
my  ways  higher  than  your  ways,  and  my  thoughts  than 
your  thoughts."  (Isaiah  Iv.  9.) 

"  The  Lord  hath  with  wisdom  formed  the  earth,  and 
with  understanding  established  the  heavens."  (Proverbs 
Hi.  10. ) 

'  "The  Lord,  the  Lord  is  a  merciful  and  gracious 
God,  long-suffering  and  abundant  in  goodness  and  truth ; 
he  forgiveth  iniquity,  transgression,  and  sin."  (Exodus 
xxxiv.  6-7.) 

ii°  "  Thou  openest  thy  hand  and  satisfies!  the  desire  of 
every  living  creature."  (Psalm  cxlv.  16.) 

81  "And  God  said  unto  Moses:  I  AM  WHO  I  AM." 
(Exodus  iii.  14. ) 

22  "In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heaven  and  the 


8o  Notes  and  References. 

earth."  (Gen.  i.    i.)  Compare  Psalm  xc.  2;  Isaiah  xlvi. 
9-10. 

.  .  .  "But  them  art  ever  the  same,  and  thy  years  will 
have  no  end."  (Psalm  cii.  25-28.) 

23  "Thus  hath  said  the  Lord,  the  King  of  Israel,  and 
his  Redeemer,  the  Lord  of  Hosts ;   I  am  the  first  and  I 
am  the  last;  and  beside  me  there  is  no  God."  (Isaiah 
xlv.  6 ;   also  Isaiah  xli.  4. ) 

24  Compare  Psalm  civ. 

25  "  Lift  up    your  eyes  and  look.     Who  hath  created 
these  things?"  (Isaiah  xl.  26.)     Compare  Job  xii.  7-10. 

26  "  The  Lord  is  King  for  ever  and  ever."  (Psalm  x. 
16.) 

'Even  Thou  art  Lord  alone."  (Neh.  ix.  6;  Isaiah 
xxxvii.  20.) 

"  He  turneth  the  changes  by  his  counsels,"  &c.  (Job 
xxxvii.  12.) 

"  For  in  his  hand  is  the  soul  of  all  living  and  the  spirit 
of  all  flesh."  (Job  xii.  10.) 

"O  Eternal,  thou  preserves!  man  and  beast."  (Psalm 
xxxvi.  6.) 

27  u  por  tjlus  sajth  tiie  Lord  :   the  Creator  of  heaven  is 
God,"  &c.  (Isaiah  xlv.  18.) 

28  "I    am   Lord,    besides  me   there   is   no   Saviour." 
(Isaiah  xlii.  n.) 

"  There  is  no  Saviour  beside  me."  (Hos.  xiii.  4.) 

29  "In  the  beginning  God  created   the   heaven  and 
the  earth."  (Gen.  i.  i.) 

30  "  God  hath  created  all  things  to  respond  to  His  pur- 
poses." (Prov.  xvi.  4.) 

31  "The  Lord  hath  with  wisdom  formed  the  earth." 
(Prov.  iii.  10. ) 

32  "  And  God  surveyed  all  that  He  had  made,  and  be- 
hold it  was  very  good."  (Gen.  i.  31.) 

33  "Your  thoughts  are  not  my  thoughts,  neither  are 
your  ways  my  ways."  (Isaiah  iv.  8.) 

34  "The  world  is  built  up  in  mercy."  (Psalm  Ixxxix.  2.) 

35  "  And  God  created  man  from  the  dust  of  the  earth 
and  breathed  into  him  a  living  soul."  (Genesis  ii.  7.) 

"  In  the  likeness  of  God  hath  He  created  man."  (Gen. 
i.  27.) 


Notes  and  References.  8 1 

"And  dust  returneth  into  dust,  as  it  was,  but  the 
spirit  returneth  unto  God  who  gave  it."  (Ecclesiastes 
xii.  7.) 

36  "  Life  and  death,  blessing  and  cursing,  I  have  set  be- 
fore thee  ;   choose  life  !"  (Deut.  xxx.  19.) 

"  Walk  before  me  and  be  thou  perfect."  (Gen.  xvii.  I.) 
Compare  Proverbs  ii.  10,  II. 

37  "  For  the  imagination  of  man  is  evil  from  his  youth." 
(Gen.  viii.  21.) 

38  "  Sin  lieth  at  the  door,  and  after  thee  is  its  desire, 
but  thou  canst  rule  over  it."  (Genesis  iv.  7.) 

39  "  And  the  wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea,  that 
cannot  rest,  and  of  which  the  waters  cast  up  mire  and 
dirt.     There  is  no  peace,  saith  the  Lord,  to  the  wicked." 
(Isaiah  Ivii.  20,  21.) 

40  Compare  Ezekiel  xxxiii.  10-20  and  Isaiah  Iv.  6,  7. 

41  "And  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  might." 
(Deut.  vi.  5.) 

42  "  O  Lord  our  God,  how  excellent  is  Thy  name  in 
all  the  earth."  (Psalm  viii.  i.) 

43  "  Fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments,  for  this  is 
the  whole  duty  of  man."  (Ecclesiastes  xii.  13.) 

44  "  How  good  and  how  beautiful  it  is  for  brethren  to 
dwell  together  in  unity  ;  for  there  the  Lord  will  command 
the  blessing  and  life  to  dwell  evermore."  (Psalm  cxxxiii. 

1-3  •) 

45  .   ..."  What  is   man  that  thou   art   mindful  of 

him  .   .   .  ?"  (Psalm  viii.  1-4.) 

"  Good  is  the  Eternal  to  all,  and  His  mercy  is  over  all 
His  works."  (Psalm  cxlv.  9.) 

"  Whom  God  loveth  he  chastiseth."  (Proverbs  iii.  12.) 

"We  should  thank  God  for  the  good  as  well  as  for 
the  evil."  (Mishna,  Berachoth,  ix.  5.) 

"Trust  in  the  Lord  with  all  thy  heart,  and  rely  not  on 
thy  intellect."  (Prov.  iii.  5.) 

"  Give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  is  good."    (Psalm 
cxviii.  i.) 

Compare  Isaiah  Iviii.  6,  7 ;  Deut.  xv.  7,  8. 

Thou  shalt  not  avenge  nor  bear  a  grudge."  (Levit. 
xix.  1 8.) 


46 
< 


8  2  Notes  and  References. 

48  "If  a  stranger  sojourn  with  you  in  your  land,  you 
shall  not  afflict  him.   .   .   .   thou  shalt  love  him  as  thy- 
self." (Levit.  xix.  43.) 

49  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  (Levit. 
xix.  i 8.) 

"Have  we  not  all  one  Father?  Hath  not  one  God 
created  us?"  (Malachi  xii.  10. ) 

Besides  the  general  duties  to  our  fellow-creatures,  our 
Religion  prescribes  particular  duties  to  be  observed  in  all 
the  social  relations  of  life.  Of  these  the  following  are  the 
principal  divisions :  Husbands  and  wives  ;  parents  and 
children  ;  teachers  and  pupils ;  masters  and  servants  ; 
state  and  citizen.  The  biblical  authorities  upon  these 
duties  are  too  numerous  for  insertion,  but  can  be  easily 
found  in  the  books  of  Exodus  and  Leviticus. 

so  a  When  wisdom,  entereth  into  thine  heart,  and 
knowledge  is  pleasant  to  thy  soul,  discretion  shall  pre- 
serve thee,  and  understanding  shall  keep  thee. "  (Prov. 
ii.  10,  u.) 

61  "Teach  my  words  to  your  children,"  £c.  (Deut.  xi. 
19.) 

"The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom." 
(Prov.  i.  7.) 

5'2  "  The  Eternal  God  took  man  and  placed  him  in  the 
garden  of  Eden  to  cultivate  it."  (Gen.  ii.  15.) 

"The  soul  of  the  diligent  shall  be  made  fat."  (Prov. 
xiii.  4.) 

"And  ye  shall  not  follow  the  inclinations  of  your 
hearts  and  of  your  eyes,  after  which  ye  are  wont  to  go 
astray."  (Numbers  xv.  39.) 

"Ye  shall  be  holy,  for  I,  the  Lord  your  God,  am 
holy."  (Levit.  xix.  2.) 

"Keep  my  commandments,  that  thou  mayest  live." 
(Proverbs  vii.  2. ) 

"Be  watchful  of  thy  heart  above  everything."  (Prov. 
iv.  23.) 

B  Genesis  iii.  10. 

64  Genesis  iv.  4. 

55  Genesis  iv.  7. 

56  Compare  Genesis  xxii. 

57  Genesis  xxvi.  25;   xxxiii.  20;  xl.  8;  xli.  16;  xlvi.  I. 


Notes  and  References.  83 

88  The  Egyptians,  Grecians,  and  Romans  had  their 
Religions,  and  how  simple  or  imperfect  soever  their  My- 
thology may  have  been,  it  was  yet  the  result  of  that  reli- 
gious sentiment  innate  in  the  human  breast. 

59  When  Judaism  arose,  nearly  all  the  nations  by  which 
the  Israelites  were  surrounded  offered  human  sacrifices  to 
their  gods,  and  this  fact  is  fully  proved  from  the  biblical 
commands  respecting  Moloch,  and  the  charge,  repeated 
so  often,  "Not  to  go  after  the  gods  of  the  nations." 

60  No  greater  proof  of  this  need  be  given  than  the  fact 
of  the  Israelites  having  compelled  Aaron    to  make  the 
golden  calf,  before  which  they  exclaimed,    "These  are 
thy  gods,  O  Israel,  that  have  brought  thee  up  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt."  (Exodus  xxxii.) 

61  Jeremiah  vii.  22. 

62  Mishna,  Taanith,  iv.  2, 

es  (i  Verily  my  Sabbaths  ye  shall  keep,  for  it  is  a  sign 
between  me  and  you,"  &c.  (Exodus  xxxi.  13-18.) 

Compare  Gen.  ii.  1-3. 

"  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy,"  &c. 
(Exodus  xx,  8-1 1.) 

"  If  thou  restrain  thy  foot  for  the  sake  of  the  Sabbath, 
not  doing  thy  business  on  my  holy  day ;  and  if  thou  call 
the  Sabbath  a  delight,  the  holy  day  of  the  Lord  honorable, 
and  honor  it  by  not  doing  thy  usual  pursuits,  by  not  fol- 
lowing thy  own  words  and  speaking  vain  words."  (Isaiah 
Iviii.  13.) 

64  Compare  Exodus  xii.,  especially  the  following  pas- 
sages :  "  Seven  days  shall  ye  eat  only  unleavened 
bread."  (15.) 

11  And  on  the  first  day  there  shall  be  unto  you  a  holy 
convocation,  and  on  the  seventh  day  there  shall  be  unto 
you  a  holy  convocation."  (16.) 

"  In  the  first  month  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  month 
at  even  ye  shall  eat  only  unleavened  bread,  until  the 
twenty-first  day  of  the  month  at  even."  (18.) 

11  It  was  a  night  of  Watch  unto  the  Lord  from  bring- 
ing them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt ;   this  night  therefore 
is  holy  to  the  Lord,  a  memorial  unto  all  the  children  of 
Israel,  for  their  generations."  (42.) 
Compare  Leviticus  xxiii.  15-22. 


Co 


84  Notes  and  References. 

11  Seven  weeks  shalt  them  number;  from  the  time  them 
beginnest  to  put  the  sickle  to  the  corn,  shalt  thou  begin 
to  number  seven  weeks."  (Deut.  xvi.  9-12.) 

Mishna,  Rosh  Hashana,  i.  2. 

66  Right  Rev.  Arthur  P.  Stanley,  D.  D.     Lectures  on 
the  History  of  the  Jewish  Church.     Lect.  vii.  p.  198. 

67  Leviticus  xxiii.  33,  to  the  end  of  the  chapter. 

b  "  In    the    seventh  month,   on  the    first  day  of  the 
month,  shall  ye  have  a  rest,  a  day  of  memorial  of  sound- 
ing the  cornet,  a  holy  convocation."  (Levit.  xxiii.  24.) 
Vide  Numbers  xxix.  i. 

69  "  In  the  seventh  month,  on  the  tenth  of  the  month, 
ye  shall  afflict  yourselves,  and  do  no  manner  of  work, 
both  the  native  and  the  stranger  who  dwelleth  amongst 
you ;   for  on  that  day  he  atoneth  for  you  to  purify  you— 
from  all  your  sins  ye  shall  purify  yourselves  before  God. 
It  shall  be  a  Sabbath  of  Sabbaths  unto  you."  (Levit.  xvi. 
29-31-)     Vide  Levit.  xxiii.  32. 

70  "  Speak  ye  unto  all  the  people  of  the  land  and  to  the 
priests,  saying,  When  ye  fasted  and  mourned  in  the  fifth 
and  seventh  month  even  those  seventy  years,  did  ye  at  all 
fast  for  my  sake  ?    These  are  the  things  that  ye  shall  do  : 
speak  ye  the  truth  every  man  to  his  neighbor,  execute 
the  judgment  of  truth  and  peace  in  your  gates.     Thus 
hath  said  the  Lord  of  Hosts  :   The  fast  of  the  fourth,  and 
the  fast  of  the  fifth,  and  the  fast  of  the  seventh,  and  the 
fast  of  the  tenth  months  shall  become  to  the  house  of 
Judah  gladness  and  joy  and  merry  festivals,  only  love  ye 
the  truth  and  peace."  (Zechariah  vii.  5  ;   viii.  16,  19.) 

71  "My   Sabbaths  shall  ye  keep,  and  my  Sanctuary 
shall  ye  reverence.     I  am  the  Lord."  (Levit.  xix.  30.) 

"I  rejoiced  when  they  said  unto  me,   Let  us    go    to 
the  house  of  the  Lord."  (Psalm  cxxii.  i.) 
7'J  Shulchan  Arooch.      Oro  Chayim,  i.  4. 

73  Temple  Emanu-El. 

74  Mishna,  Aboth,  v.  17. 

T5  "  O  Lord,  in  the  morning  do  Thou  hear  my  voice." 
(Psalms  v.  4;  lix.  16  ;  Iv.  17,  18;  Deut.  vi.  II,  12.) 

76  Genesis  xvii.  9-27. 

77  Zechariah  xiv.  9. 


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